Once Upon a Time in Magnolia
by Sunrisepainter
Summary: AU, no magic. Lucy Heartfilia just transferred from a prestigious all- girls school to Fairy High after her father, a former industrial tycoon, went bankrupt. On her first day of school, she clashes with Natsu Dragneel, a.k.a. the Red Salamander and leader of an infamous gang of delinquents called Dragon Slayers. Soon, Lucy finds herself drawn into a fierce gang war. [Lucy x Natsu]
1. PROLOGUE

**_© Sunrisepainter:_** _Once Upon a Time in_ _Magnolia_

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Title: Once Upon a Time in Magnolia

Fandom: Fairy Tail, AU

Genre: Romance, Drama

Author: Sunrisepainter

Language: Englisch

Raiting: M (just to be on the safe side)

Summary:

 _AU, no magic. Lucy Heartfilia just transferred from a prestigious all- girls school to Fairy High as her father, a former industrial tycoon, went bankrupt. Fallen from grace, she learns what it means to live as a mere commoner now. She soon makes friends with bookworm Levy and tomboy Erza. On her first day of school, she also clashes with Natsu Dragneel, the "Red Salamander". He is the leader of a feared gang of delinquents called Dragon Slayers. Soon, Lucy finds herself drawn into a fierce gang war going on between Dragon Slayers and Sabertooth from another High School._

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Hiro Mashima. This story has not much to do with the anime or manga apart from the characters and some loose links to the original storyline. I own no money with this fanfiction.

Please note: This is an AU fanfiction, so the characters have no magic powers. Furthermore, Natsu might be quite OOC in the beginning but this will change as the story develops. Some of the characters are also older than in the original plot, just in case there might be some confusion. As I said: my story is only loosely based on the manga and anime.

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 **Once Upon a Time in Magnolia**

 _by Sunrisepainter_

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 **PROLOGUE**

Blood. It's on his hands. It's on his shirt, even on his shoes. He's covered in blood.

Breathing hard he gets up, stumbles forward and falls down on his knees again. He ignores his body aching with pain. His eyes are fixed on the two lifeless bodies in front of him.

"No!", his voice sounds hoarse and not like his own at all. A lump form in his throat, making it even harder to breathe. He creeps toward the bodies on the floor and touches the man's hand. It's numb and cold

Stone- cold.

He turns toward the woman. Her face is pale and her eyes wide open, but frozen. He wants to scream and cry, but no sound leaves his mouth.

It was all his fault.

He killed them. He fucking killed them!

Tears stream down his face as the world starts to spin around. The colors grow hazy and he doesn't fight against the darkness anymore. It embraces him like an old friend, slowly sucking him in towards the pitch black ground.

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 _ **End of Prologue.**_


	2. CHAPTER ONE: Animosity

_**©Sunrisepainter:** Once Upon a Time in Magnolia_

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 _ **A/N:** Please enjoy the first chapter and give me some feedback if you like. It's my first story about Fairy Tail and I'm still trying to improve my English writing skills :). _

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Characters introduced in this chapter:

 **\- Lucy Heartfilia** (17, student): former rich girl, transfer student and main character, class 2-D

 **\- Miss Blender** (23, teacher): young homeroom teacher of class 2-D

 **\- Miss Evergreen** (26, school nurse): flirtatious head of school infirmary who has a crush on the sport teacher Mr. Strauss

 **\- Gray Fullbuster** (17, student): lazy, blunt and indifferent heartthrob, member of the _Dragon Slayers_ , class 2- D

 **\- Levy McGarden** (17, student): shy but cheerful girl in Lucy's class, they immediately hit it off with each other, class 2-D

\- **Natsu Dragneel** , the Red Salamander (17, student): short- tempered, reckless and cruel delinquent leader of the _Dragon Slayers_ , class 2-D

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 **CHAPTER ONE:** Animosity

My heart skips a beat as I walk my way up to the huge building on the hill. I feel uncomfortable as everyone is staring at me. I defiantly should have gotten my uniform before starting my first day in a new school. However, I was too preoccupied with other things and completely forgot about it. I sigh. No, this is not the right time to feel sorry for myself. I had to keep my chin up if I didn't want to lose the little bit of dignity I had left. Determined to face my fate, I square my shoulders, raise my head and walk through the gate of Fairy High.

Compared to my previous school - a boarding school for rich young girls - Fairy High is not as luxurious and sophisticated. However, as I sneak a peek at the sprawling school grounds, the oak trees and the big clock above the entrance, it feels like a nice place to be. The entrance hall is welcoming me with its high windows and potted plants. In the middle of the hall I can also see the banner of the school: a white fairy-like figure on an orange background. I am finally able to calm down a little bit. Maybe, my new life would not be as hard as I thought.

"Excuse me", I ask a girl right next to me, "where may I find the teacher's office?"

She curiously looks me up and down. I wonder if I sound too much like some snobbish girl. However, it doesn't seem so as she cracks me a smile and shows me the way. I thank her and walk towards the direction she was pointing at. While walking through the hallways, I try to memorize as much of the building as possible. I pass by some classrooms of the lower classes, the music room, the auditory and the entrance to a small but beautiful backyard with a fountain in it. I decide to go there during lunch time. I like eating meals near fountains. I sometimes did it at my old school as well. As I reach the teacher's office, I'm more cheerful and less nervous than before. As I prepare to knock, the door suddenly opens by itself and crashes right into my face. I dizzily stumble back a few steps.

"Ouch", I hear myself moan. My nose hurts like crazy.

"Oh dear, did I hit you?", a female voice asks. I blink a few times to get rid of the giddy feeling. Finally, I can visualize the young woman in front of me. She is very beautiful. Her long reddish hair curls down her small back just perfectly. Her skin is smooth and pale, her features soft and feminine. She wears a white tie- neck blouse and a short black skirt which perfectly underlines her slender legs. Her dark blue eyes look at me in concern.

"I'm okay", I try to smile but quickly cover my nose as blood starts to drip to the floor. The young woman looks startled:

"Oh no, you're hurt! Let me take you to the infirmary."

"No, I'm really fine", I try to signal my refusal, but she doesn't look too persuaded. Therefore, she carefully examines my body. Her eyes stop at the crest on my school uniform. Suddenly, recognition hits her:  
"Oh, you must be my new student. Lucy Heartfilia, am I right?"

I nod my head. Her smile broadens:  
"I'm your new homeroom teacher. My name is Miss Blender. I'm very sorry for hitting you with a door on your first day." She looks apologetically.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Blender", I bow my head politely.

"Let's go to infirmary, Miss Heartfilia", she insists, "your nose is in a pretty bad shape and I think you need to change your clothes, too." She points at the blood stain on my white blouse. I shudder and feel nauseous again. Eventually, I surrender and follow her to the infirmary. Miss Evergreen, the nurse, patches up my nose while the red- headed teacher left to get me something else to wear. Although Miss Evergreen looks more mature than Miss Blender, she is no less beautiful.

"Do you think I'm too sexy to be a nurse?", she asks me in a lascivious voice as she catches me starring at her. I blush and quickly look to the floor. She laughs at my reaction:

"Sorry, I didn't want to tease you. It's just that everyone seems to be mesmerized by my appearance the first time they meet me." She sounds very sure of herself. I suppress a huff. It's better not to blow it with the school nurse on my first day.  
"So, you came here from an all- girls school?", she asks curiously.

"Yes", I answer, "it was a private school."  
"A rich girl, huh?", she says but it does not sound as if she wants to offend me or anything.  
"I used to be." I suddenly feel uncomfortable again. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to talk about the reason I transferred to a public school. Before Miss Evergreen could interrogate me any further, the door opens and a boy stumbles into the room. On the sight of the nurse sitting in a very slinky pose on her chairs, he blushes and stutters:

"M-Miss Ever-Evergreen, some- someone fai- fainted in P.E."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute", she tells the guy, then she turns to me, "try to lay down for a while until the bleeding stops. As soon as Miss Blender is back, change into some fresh clothes and you can go, got it?" I nod my head and she rushes out of the room. As soon as the door is closed, I let out a deep sigh and fall back onto the soft pillow. This is not how I pictured my first day to be.

"Maybe you're not cut- out for a commoner's way of life after all", I mumble to myself, "you even came to school without lunch, just because you can't cook. How are you going to survive on a new day without food? How are you going to survive without money anyway? I mean- "

I shriek as the curtain to my left suddenly opens. I did not even realize before that someone was in the bed right next to mine.

"Geez, would you stop all this blabbering, girl?", a dark voice groans. I flinch as two angry dark blue eyes meet mine. It's a guy around my age, wearing the school's uniform. He has dark messy hair and a big cross necklace (which must be against the school dress code, for sure). I can tell that he is tall and quite handsome. The type of guy always flocked by some fan girls. Through his unbuttoned shirt I can see a blue dragon tattoo on his chest and his well- trained body. I swiftly avert my gaze and blush.

"Wh- who are you? Wh- where do you come from?", I stutter without looking at him.

"What a pain in the ass!", he says in an irritated voice. I can hear him yawn loudly, then he gets on his feet. I am still too shocked to move an inch. Somehow, I have the feeling that he's not the kind of person you would like to be alone with. The atmosphere around him is kind of peculiar. I cannot put my finger on it, but something tells me I should not involve myself with him. I close my eyes and pray that he will be leaving soon.

"Oi, rich girl!"

I flinch again and look at him with wide eyes. However, I can't see his face as his back is turned towards me.

"Y- yes?", I am too surprised to tell him that I'm not a rich girl any more. I'm not even upset that he obviously had listened to my conversation with Miss Evergreen.

Instead of saying anything, he throws something over his shoulder. Reflexively, I catch it. It is a bag with hand- made cookies. I stare at it in surprise. I open my mouth to say something, but the words just don't come out as I am still too baffled. Does he give them to me because I said that I had no lunch with me? When I want to ask him, I realize he is already gone.

"Thank you", I hence mumble to myself. I am still confused but there is also this slight feeling of gratitude. Was I probably judging him too fast?

Miss Blender comes back soon afterwards and apologizes a million times that she could not find a school uniform but only some gym clothes. I assure her that this is a lot better than a blood- stained blouse and quickly get changed. It turns out that the clothes are for boys and there, way too large, but somehow, I feel comfortable in them. I put my blonde hair into a high ponytail and tuck my dirty clothes into my school back.

"Wow, now you look at this rich girl turning into a commoner", Miss Evergreen comments as soon as she is back. I glare ate her, but she just laughs it off. I do not know if I should like this woman or not.

"I think you should introduce yourself to your class now, Miss Heartfilia", Miss Blender says.

"Well, good luck with that, sweetie", Miss Evergreen smiles evilly at me, "you sure will make an impression, though." Yes, she's definitely a witch. However, I kind of feel better wearing these worn out gym clothes than the flashy school uniform from my old school. No one would think that I once had been the daughter of the second richest man in the whole country. Well, _former_ second richest man. That was all in the past now. It is scary how life can change in the blink of an eye. Just a few days ago I was on top of the world. I had everything: the best education, the best food and the latest fashion. And here I am now, wearing some worn- out clothes and two plugs in my nose stopping the bleeding. It is ironic. Like a reversed Cinderella story. Well, at least I got some cookies for lunch now.

"By the way, Miss Evergreen. Who was the guy in the bed next to mine?", I asked the nurse curiously. She raises an eyebrow:  
"A guy?"

I nod and describe what he looked like. The nurse rolls her eyes:

"You're probably talking about Gray Fullbuster. This guy must have secretly gotten into the infirmary to take a nap. Nasty boy!" Miss Blender sighs and nods her head in agreement:  
"You're right! I don't even know what to do with him anymore. He and his friends are skipping school all the time. He's not a bad student, thought."

"Everyone knows he's just lazy", Miss Evergreen licks her lips, "but smoking hot!"

Miss Blender looks at her in shock and the nurse just smirks:  
"Don't worry. I would never start anything with a student. Also, my heart only belongs to Mr. Strauss. Unfortunately, he still hasn't taken any of my hints…" She desperately shakes her head, "… that dense men! Thereby, I wag my tail at him for month now and he just said-" I do not get to hear what this Mr. Strauss said to her as Miss Blender drags me out of the room. Her cheeks are even more flushed than mine.

"What a flirty woman she is!", she says, "don't ever asks her for advice when it comes to men."

"I won't", I promise, and I am dead serious with this.

"Listen, Miss Heartfilia", Miss Blender stops in front of the room of class number 2-B. I gulp as I see the serious expression in her eyes.

"As you already met Gray Fullbuster, I have to warn you. He and his friends are also in my class, even though they don't attend school regularly. You should just stay away from them. I especially tell you this because I know your background. These people are very different from all the people you've known so far."

I feel a lump welling up in my throat. What does she mean with _very different_? Although this Gray guy looked very cold and dangerous on the outside, he still was kind enough to give me some cookies. Or was it just a trap? Suspiciously I examine the bag in my hand. They look like normal cookies, though.

"I mean there are also some pretty nice students in my class", the teacher goes on and smiles, "so don't be too afraid. It's just that you should avoid some of them." I smile back at her:

"I really appreciate that you worry so much about me, sensei, but I will be fine. Trust me. Even though I don't look like it, I am very strong. I'm sure I will make some nice new friends."

"Oh my, you're so cute!", the teacher squeaks, "alright, are you ready to make an introduction?"

"Yes", I straighten my back and follow my new teacher into the room. After Miss Blender's warning, I expected the worst. However, all the faces of my new classmates look friendly and welcoming. As I introduce myself, they clap their hands and smile at me. No one says anything about my strange get-up. No one recognizes who I really am. Instead they just ask some ordinary questions about my former school and my hobbies. I try to answer as many as I can without revealing too much about my family background. Then, Miss Blender asks me to take a seat in the back and starts the lesson. I sit down and greet my neighbor. It's a petite girl with blue spiky hair and glasses. She looks nice, so I ask her if I could share her textbooks and she happily agrees.

"My name's Levy McGarden", she whispers and smiles. I smile back:  
"Mine is Lucy. Let's get along from now on."

"Yes", she agrees. By chance I catch a glimpse of a book poking out her school bag.

"Hey, did you also read _Key of the Starry Heavens_ by Will Neville?", I ask her out of the blue and point at the book. She shyly smiles:

"Yes, it's a beautiful story."

"Indeed", I barely can withhold my excitement, "it's the most beautiful picture book ever written! I thought I was the only teenager reading children's stories."  
"Me too", she suddenly is as excited as me, "I never told anyone about this."

"Me neither."

I am very relieved now. Levy and I seem to have a lot in common. We both like reading, watching movies and shopping. After class she shows me around, helps me to get my schedule and to fill out some documents.

"This school is really amazing", I say happily as we go back to class, "everyone seems nice and the atmosphere is so relaxed."

"Yeah, most of the time", Levy answer. Am I mistaken, or do her expressions seem gloomy all of a sudden?

"What do you mean?", I want to know, "are you not happy with your school?"

"The school itself is nice", she lowers her voice and nervously looks around us, "I tell you everything, but not here. Can you wait until lunch time? Let's go somewhere more privet then."

I look at her in confusion but nod my head in agreement. It is strange. I only know Levy for half a day now and I feel like I can trust her more than anyone of my old friends. However, something bothers me. What is it she cannot tell me in public? I remember Miss Blender's warning and suddenly feel restless. Does it have something to do with this strange guy I met in the infirmary earlier?

As the bell rings for lunch, Levy takes my hand and drags me with her, before I can even utter a word of protest. Some other students follow us with their gazes. I feel a strange tension. I cannot put my finger on it, but it is as if everyone know exactly what Levy is going to tell me. It makes me curious, but also scares me at the same time. Levy takes me to a small room on the third room. It is filled with broken chairs, desks and some leftovers from school festivals, like banners, costumes, props and other stuff. She carefully closes the door and turns her head in my direction.

"I am sorry that we have to squeeze ourselves into this cramped room, but it's the only place in school we can talk freely. Not many people know about it."

"Well, it's alright, Levy- san. I just don't get what's going on. Are you afraid the teachers will hear when you tell me bad stuff about this school?"

She shakes her head:  
"No. As I said, the school itself is great. The teachers as well."

"So, what's the problem?", I am getting more and more impatient, "does it have anything to do with this guy called Gray Fullbuster?"

Levy's face pales and she clasps my shoulders:

"You know about him?"

"Um, kind of…" I explain to her what happened at the infirmary this morning. Levy's eyes widen, and she nervously bites her bottom lip:  
"Oh, no, no, no. This is not good."

"Why?" I still do not understand a word she says.  
"Lucy- san, Miss Blender is absolutely right. You should never meddle with someone like Gray Fullbuster. He means trouble. The fact that he actually talked to you and even gave you something means that he might have the slightest interests in you."

I blush:  
"I don't think so."

"Damn Lucy, don't tell me you fell for his charms?", she looks at me in alarm.

"Well… I mean…he's handsome and all, but….", I put the tips of my fingers together, "I've never dated a guy and I don't plan to."

"You don't understand", Levy's voice has a sharp tune now, "Gray Fullbuster doesn't care about your feelings at all. He's cold and heartless. He only keeps himself entertained by playing with girls, making them fall for him and breaking their hearts. And he's dangerous. He's part of the _Dragon Slayers_ , you know?"

" _Dragon Slayers_?", I frown, "What's this?" Levy's eyes are filled with horror now. She leans in and whispers:

"They are the infamous gang of delinquents ruling this school. They don't listen to anyone and do whatever they want. They torture students just for fun and beat up random people on the streets. Not even the teachers can stop them. Everyone is afraid of them. Believe me, it's way better to be invisible to them! We can't even talk behind their backs because the rumors say that they have spies everywhere in school."

I gulp. That really sounds terrifying.

"Still. This Gray was pretty nice to me this morning", I try to defend him. Levy rolls her eyes:

"He's always nice to girls. And there is still Juvia."

"Juvia?"

"Juvia Lockster. She is also one of the Dragon Slayers and head over heels for Gray. She lashes out at every girl that comes close to him. Last year, she also beat up a bunch of five men, all on her own."

I feel the knot in my stomach tighten. No, I definitely do not want to be on bad terms with this Juvia chick.

"Then there is also Mirajane Strauss, the Demon Queen. She's even stronger than Juvia and as cold- blooded as beautiful. Not even her big brother, who is a teacher at our school, can stop her. Another member is Cana Albarone, her father is some kind of mafia boss, but she's too lazy to fight herself. However, she is known for outdrinking her opponents. And then there is Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Fist…"

"I think I can imagine why he's got this nickname", I sweatdrop. Levy nods her head:

"Yes, he's a beast when it comes to fighting. People say that he can break iron rots just with his bare hands" Levy and I cringe just at the thought of it.

"They sound like the worst kind of people ever", I mumble.

"They sure are. However, the worst of them all is the Red Salamander."

"Red Salamander?", I repeat cluelessly.  
"He's the leader of the _Dragon Slayers_ ", Levy explains, "he's the strongest of them all. Not even Gajeel, Gray or Mira can beat him. People say that his fists hurt like fire and leave scars looking like burns on your skin. He's even worse than Gajeel as he makes no difference between guys and girls. Whenever someone tries to get in his way, he makes sure they will never forget who he is."  
I cannot help but tremble with fear. This guy sounds insane, like a mad dog.

"So, whenever you see one of them, just make sure to steer clear of them. Let them not even notice your bare existence" she advices urgently.

"I think you don't have to tell me", I say determined, "I would never want to mess with any of them, trust me."

"Good", Levy sighs in relief, "I avoided them since I started school and it works perfectly fine until now. Most of the time, they are not in class anyway."

I nod my head and remember Miss Blender telling me that Gray was in our class. I ask Levy about it.

"He is. Mira, Salamander and Cana, too. Fortunately, Juvia is in class 2-A and Gajeel in class 3-C."

"Good to know", I am finally able to smile again, "thank you for telling me all of this. I'll be careful from now on."

"Let's just watch each other's backs. That makes it easier, right?", Levy suggests.  
"Yes, that's a good idea. Thank you so much. I never would have thought that I would make my first friend right on my first day", I say cheerfully. She looks surprised and shyly adjusts her glasses:

"I am you friend?"

"Of course, you are", I exclaim and add in a softer tone, "you don't want to?" She blushes but smiles:  
"I would love to! It's just that I don't have that many friends…"

"Why not? You're smart and pretty and nice", I tell her truthfully. She beams with joy and I smile back. We settle our new friendship with a handshake.

"So, what do I do with these cookies now? I don't want to eat them anymore", I place the cookies in front of me. Levy eyes them as if they were poisoned.

"Just throw them away. You can have some of my bento if you like to."

"Really?" My heart flutters a little bit. I had never shared a bento with a friend.

"Next time, I'll make something for you in return", I promise.

"Sure."

Thus, we leave this cramped room and go to the courtyard to have our lunch. The food is delicious. I think I have never tasted anything nearly as good. We talk and laugh and forget all about Gray Fullbuster, his cookies or the _Dragon Slayers_.

However, I should have learned one thing by now: Nothing would last forever. Happiness is something fragile and not everlasting. It can be destroyed in the blink of an eye, like a house of cards. And my house of cards started to crumble down without me even knowing. It was not my fault, thought. If anyone was to blame it should have be Miss Blender, perhaps even a certain gang leader's addiction to nicotine.

After lunch break, Levy and I chat happily near the little fountain. We do not notice the atmosphere around us changing. We do not notice all students disappearing into their classrooms, peering with frightened eyes into the hallway. We neither hear the petrified whispers nor the sound of heavy boots approaching us. We are about to go back to class when I finally have this strange feeling in my gut. Although there is still some time left until the bell rings, the courtyard is completely deserted. The silence is suffocating. I can sense that something is not quite right. I look at Levy who is pale as a sheet.

"What's wrong?" I ask her dumbfounded. She does not answer. It is as if her body is frozen.

"You!", I suddenly hear a dark voice roaring behind me.

I turn around to see a guy standing just a few meters away from us. The first thing I notice is his pinkish, spiky hair style and the strange worn- out muffler around his neck. A muffler in June! I squeeze my eyes to get a better look at him. He's wearing a unique composition of Fairy High's school uniform. The usual grey pants and the white button-down shirt combined with a longer version of the red school jacket with rolled up sleeves. Instead of leather shoes he wears heavy boots. For some reason, his eyes are fixed on me. Uncomfortably I shift my feet. Did he really talk to me? I see anger flashing in his eyes as he rushes up to me. I don't even try to avoid him as I am too startled. Before I can say anything, he has me by the collar and pulls me up, bringing his face close to mine.  
"You. Strip."

I blink a few times. Is he serious? His eyes do not look as if he is kidding. I look back at him in shock. What does he want? Is he flirting with me right now? No, he is angry. Why?

"Are you deaf?", he groans, "strip!"

Finally, I realize my situation and try to free myself from his grasp.

"Let me go!", I flail and kick around but cannot hit him even once. He is strong.

"I am going to scream!", I warn him and open my mouth to do so but he simply covers it with his big hand.

"If you won't do it yourself, I'll strip you!", his voice has a threating ring to it. I start to panic as he puts me down again and starts undoing the zipper of my tracksuit. Before I can think about it, I bite the hand which is still in front of my mouth. He moans while he lets go of me. I use this opportunity to kick his leg as hard as I can.

"I said to let go, you jerk!", I yell. I want to run, but he catches my left arm and pulls me back.

"You bitch!", he huffs, "fine, I'll get it myself!"  
"Let go, moron!", I try to resist, but he had already pulled down the zipper of my tracksuit halfway. Without hesitation, he puts his hand inside of my tracksuit top. I can feel the back of his hand brushing some sensitive parts of my upper body.

"Kyaa!", I hear myself scream and push him off me. As his body is sturdier than mine it is me who stumbles backwards instead of him. I trip over the rim of the fountain and splash into the water. Immediately my clothes and hair are soaked. My body goes all numb, because of the coldness of the water. However, the worst thing is that my bra is exposed to all the bystanders now as the tracksuit top had slid down my shoulders.

"Damn it, you got them all wet, you bitch!", the guy with pink hair glares at me. He fishes something out of the water. It's a pack of cigarettes. In disbelief I stare at them. He made me go through all of this because of some frigging cigarettes!? I feel something inside of me which I haven't felt for a long time: pure anger!

"Tch, I have to see if they're still inflammable!", the guy hisses irritated and just walks off, with me just sitting inside the fountain. My anger seizes hold of me now. Before I even know what, I am doing, I'm out of the fountain and running after him. My speed increases with every step I take. It is like my body moving on its own. I cannot stop myself. I may have lost all the money, my home and my father, but I would no one ever take away my dignity!

I jump into the air. I literally fly.

My outstretched foot meets the middle of his back with full speed. It sends him flying forward and with a thud, his face meets the ground. I gracefully land next to him on my feet.

Afterwards, it is silent. Dead silent. He does not move an inch and so does no one else. Everyone just stares back and forth between me and the guy on the ground. The school bell rings, but nobody intends to go back to class. I calmly pull up my zipper and blow some loose strands of hair out of my face:

"Never touch me again! And this-" I bend down and pick up the pack of cigarettes, "people our age shouldn't smoke anyway. It's not good for your health." Hence, I throw the pack into a bin.

"L- Lucy", I hear Levy's soft voice. Her face is still all pale and her whole body is shaking. As the boy's body on the ground twitches, Levy shrieks. She grasps my hand and pulls me with her inside the school building.

"Levy, what-", I try to protest, but she just drags me with her, so I have no choice but to follow her. We race through the hallways, up to the second floor. She only stops once we are in front of our classroom. Both of us are panting.

"What's gotten into you?", I ask her, gasping for air. Her face is still pale, and her bottom lip is trembling:  
"Wh-why? Why did you do this, Lucy- chan?"

"Why?", I frown, "you mean, why I knocked down this nutcase?"

She nods her head.

"Well, you were there. What he did to me was even worse", I shudder and put my arms around the upper part of my body, "I won't let anybody treat me like some pushover!"

"Lucy!", Levy clasps my shoulders, her face is all serious, "do you even have the slightest idea what you just did?"

"Of course, I do. As nobody else was helping me, I stood up for myself", I cannot help but sound a little bit angry. Why did _she_ not do anything? Neither did she say anything, nor did she help me to get out of the water. I mean we only knew each other for half a day, but still…

"You don't understand", Levy's voice is sharper than before, "do you know who you just send flying?"

"How should I now? I've only been at this school for a few hours now. I barely managed to remember a quarter of the people in my class", I hiss. She sighs and runs a hand through her blue hair. The look she gives me through her glasses is anxious, sympathetic and reproachful at the same time:

"You just managed to make the most dreaded person of this school your enemy: Natsu Dragneel also known as the Red Salamander!"

I gulp.

I'm in big trouble now…

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 _ **End of Chapter One.**_


	3. CHAPTER TWO: Affinity

**© Sunrisepainter** : _Once Upon a Time in Magnolia_

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 **A/N** : _Heya, thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows. I didn't think my story would get so much attention just for the first chapter. You guys are amazing^^. So, here comes the next chapter. See you again next Tuesday. -Sunrisepainter_

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Introduced in this chapter:

 **\- Wendy Marvell** (14, middle school student): Lucy's cute neighbor and an orphan who lives alone

 **\- Warren Rocko** (17, student): one of Lucy's new classmates and not very brave, class 2-D

 **\- Laki Olietta** (17, student): one of Lucy's new classmates, a self- confident girl who hates gender- based discrimination and who might have a slight sadistic side to her, class 2-D

 **\- Alzack Connell** (17, student) and **Bisca Mulan** (17, student): a couple in Lucy's class, they usually appear together as a pair, class 2-D

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO:** Affinity

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?", I ask Levy for the second time in a row.

We're on our way home from school. Apart from the incident near the fountain, the rest of my first day passed rather quietly. However, I'm still angry at Levy for not warning me that the person I messed with was actually the head of the infamous school gang. Now, I am scared. Scared of what might happen to me in the future.

Gloomily Levy fidgets with the tip of her forefingers:

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I was just too paralyzed to open my mouth. I'm such a coward!" She really looks afflicted.

I sigh:  
"Whatever. The damage is done anyway. Besides, no one has the right to touch me. Not even that Salamander guy."

"So, what will you do now?", she asks.

"I don't know", I shrug my shoulders, "I have to wait and see what happens next…"

I try to play it cool on the outside, but on the inside I'm a nervous wreck. My imagination is running wild with all the things this guy could do to get his revenge: He could summon all his underground friends to give me a good beating. He could tuck my head into the fountain and drown me. Or worse, into the toilet. He could drag me into a dark alleyway at night and scalp me…

"No!", I scream and feel my head with my hands as if to check if my hair is still in place. My sudden exclamation makes Levy jump:

"Geez Lucy, you scared me to death!"

"Sorry, I just don't want to lose my beautiful hair. It took me five years to grow it out", I whine.

"What are you talking about?"

I don't answer her question.

"Maybe, I should change schools before it's too late. I mean, I didn't get my uniform yet. I can still transfer to another school. It shouldn't be a problem…however, I can't change rooms this easily. It took me all my persuasive powers to get that one…the landlady won't let me off without a good reason…", I mumble to myself, not realizing my new friend gives me a nervous side glance.

"You're alright Lucy? You're freaking me out…"

"Oh Levy-chan, what shall I do? I don't want to run across that Salamander guy or anyone of his friends…!"

"Calm down", she says in a soothing voice and softly touches my upper arm, "Salamander and his gang hardly come to school. There's a good chance that you never have to meet him again…"

"You're sure?"

"Well, I…uh….", she doesn't look very convinced by her own words. I heave a deep sigh.

"Listen, Lucy-chan", Levy makes another attempt, "I'm on your side. I'm very sorry that I let you down today. I feel very bad about it and it won't happen again. Let's just try to avoid these guys from now on together. I'm sure Salamander will forget about it. He's not the brightest candle on the cake, so…"

As she says that, I feel a warm tingling in my chest. I had many friends in the past. Nonetheless, no one ever told me they were sorry about something unless they wanted to benefit from my dad's influence or wealth. It was the first time someone liked me for me. At least that's what it feels like to me.

"Thanks", I smile at her, "I really appreciate you're cheering me up. I just hope you're right…"

We reach the canal of Magnolia. The sun is already setting, and the sky is colored in beautiful shades of red and gold.

"I have to go that way", Levy says and points to the right.

"And I have to go that way", I say in a sad tone and point to the left.

"Too bad. I'd love to learn more about you", she smiles, "but I must hurry and get back home. My brothers are waiting for me. They're nice, but sometimes too overprotective." She grimaces, and I giggle.

"That's sounds interesting. I don't have any siblings."

"Would you like to come to my house tomorrow after school?", she asks. I beam with joy:

"I really can?"

"Course you can", she cocks her head to the side, "you're a pretty odd girl, you know? I don't mean it in a bad way, though."

"Thank you…I guess…", I say in a puzzled tone.

What does she mean by that? However, she gives no further explanations and just says goodbye to me.

As she runs off, I watch her with mixed feelings. I feel like I can trust her, but I somehow do not want her to find out my true identity. Levy seems like the average type of girl who prefers to be friends with average kind of people. She doesn't want to be in the limelight or the center of attention. I'm sure she would be very disappointed if she ever found out who I really am. In conclusion, I just had to make sure that she never would. That no one ever would. That's what I decide as I stroll along the canal.

* * *

My new place is just a few blocks away from Fairy High. It's an old building, but certainly has its own charm with the wooden windows and the cute little embellishments. It's the cheapest apartment I could find in this area. However, the place is clean, comfortable and safe. The landlord is an older woman living on the ground floor. She's a little strict about house rules as I had to swear on all my remaining belongings (which isn't much) that I would never ever bring a guy to my room. I promised her, but I was sure that the promise was needless in the first place. I never had a boyfriend in my life even though a lot of guys had proposed to my dad in the past. In the eyes of my father none of them had qualified to inherit the Heartfilia holdings, though. I guess, our exceptional wealth ironically spared me from an arranged marriage so far.

As I reach the second floor and turn around the corner, I accidentally bump into someone. This event is followed by a high- pitched squeak and the rustling from sheets of paper floating softly to the floor. A girl, a little younger than I – maybe 12 or 13 years of age – sits on a pile of posters and rubs her forehead.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I help her back on her feet again. She's cute. Her face is heart- shaped with a cute little button nose and big, brown, innocent eyes. Her long, bluish hair is tied into pigtails.

"Yeah", she mumbles but still is preoccupied with touching her forehead. It's slightly red. Her head must have collided with my school bag. I feel a little guilty.

"Wait, I'll help you", I kneel and start collecting the posters which are spread all over the floor.

"Oh no, I can do it myself", she says hastily and kneels beside me, "it's my fault for not watching out."

"You're looking for your cat?", I frown as I take a closer look at the posters. She must have made them herself as the picture of the white cat with a pink ribbon on her tail was drawn by crayons.

"Yes", the girl shyly tugs some strands of her blue hair behind her ear, "her name is Carla. When I come home from school, she usually waits for me in front of my room, but she didn't come home for a while now…"

Her eyes fill up with tears. Swiftly she wipes them away.

"Do you live here as well?", I ask.

She nods her head:  
"Yes. Unit 203."

"That's right beside my room. I'm 202. I've moved here two days ago", I smile at her and her eyes widen.

"You must be Miss Heartfilia, right? The landlady told me about you. It's nice to meet you, I'm Wendy Marvell." She politely bows down to me. I feel my heart bursting out of my chest. What a cute and polite little neighbor!

"You can call me Lucy if you like, I'll help you distribute the posters. We can also look around for your cat while doing so. I'm sure she'll show up sooner or later", I suggest. Wendy's eyes lighten up:

"Really? I don't want to burden you or anything, thought…."

"Don't worry about that. You can also show me around the neighborhood while looking for Carla. I still don't know anyone here", I laugh.

"It would be my pleasure Lucy- san", she smiles softly.

"Just wait for me downstairs. I just have to change into some other clothes." After I fell into the water earlier, I had to change back into my former uniform which was still stained with blood. Well, rather some blood stains than wet, I suppose.

* * *

Half an hour later, Wendy and I hand out the posters and look for the white little cat. When the clock strikes seven thirty and we still have not made any progress, I suggest going home.

"Your mother will probably worry about you", I say, but Wendy shakes her head.

"Nobody's going to worry. I live on my own."

I am surprised:

"Really? How can a young girl live on her own?"

She smiles but her eyes look quite sad:  
"My father died when I was still a baby. After my mother remarried I lived with her, her new husband and his son who is a couple of years older than me. Two years ago, our parents died in a car accident. We were send to different orphanages and lost sight of each other. A year later, they found some of my relatives, but as they don't want me to stay with them, they got me this apartment. The only family I have is Carla, but…"

Now she cannot stop herself from crying anymore. I somehow can relate to her feelings as I am on my own as well. However, she is much younger than me and at least, my father was still alive, even though I never want to see him again. Compared to hers, my problems are irrelevant. It breaks my heart to see Wendy cry. I put my arms around her frail figure and hug her tightly. Softly I stroke her head:  
"Don't worry, we'll find Carla, I promise. Let's look for her every day until we can find her."

"Really?" She looks up to me with puffy eyes.

I crack her a smile:

"Sure. After all, I'm very thankful that you showed me around. And one more thing: You can knock on my door whenever you have a problem."

She stares at me in disbelief:

"You're very kind."

I shyly scratch the back of my head:

"Well, I just want to get along with my new neighbors. Soon, I am also going to pay a visit to unit 201."

"You can try but I don't think she'll open the door. The landlady told me that this lady is a hikikomori*. I've never seen her face since I moved here."

"Maybe I should also live like that", I say to no one particular. Wendy looks at me quizzically.

I just wave my hand:

"I only had a bad day at school. Don't worry, I could never live like that."

"Me neither", Wendy agrees.

With that said, we finally make our way home. We do not talk much. It seems as if Wendy is pondering over something and I do not want to interrupt her thoughts. She is probably still worried about her cat.

"The same goes for you, Lucy- san", she says out of the blue as we eventually halt in front of her room.

"Huh?" Of course, I am confused.

"I mean you can also come to me when somethings troubling you", the younger girl offers.

"Alas, you're such a sweetie!", I exclaim in delight and ruffle her hair. She blushes a deep shade of red.

"Goodnight and thank you, Lucy- san", she splutters and quickly vanishes inside her room. I guess she feels awkward with me praising her.

I smile to myself. I cannot help but like my new neighbor. She kind of reminds me of myself when I was her age.

I get my keys from my bag and enter my own apartment. It's a one-room flat. The furniture is a little old- fashioned but very cozy. I especially like the antique red velvet reading chair in front of the window. I still had no time to sort and shelve my own stuff. I look at the two boxes next to my bad. There is not much inside, but I feel too tired to unpack them. Instead, I change in to my soft and cuddly pajamas and jump onto my bed.

I check my phone, but I have got no texts. Since I was poor now, my old friends did not seem to care about me anymore. My chest tightens and tears well up in my eyes. It's painful. I try to forget about my past, but it's still painful. It feels like my life until now was nothing but make- believe. I lived in a bubble created by my father's wealth.

The last thing that comes to my mind is the fear of Salamander's retaliation before I drift off into a restless sleep.

* * *

The following morning, I almost overslept. I feel groggy and worn-out while walking to school. I don't really want to go but there was no way I could just stay home. I must get a hold of all my anxieties and figuratively throw them out the window.

My mood gets a little better as I met Levy in front of the gates. She waves and smiles at me. Together we enter the school building. I keep an open eye to my surroundings and feel relieved as I neither spot some spiky, pink hair nor a dragon tattoo or anything else that could be associated with delinquency. Everyone just looks like students in uniform are supposed to look. Of course, my wariness doesn't slip Levy's attentive eyes.

"If you're that scared, you should probably tell a teacher of even the headmaster about Salamander", she suggests.

I decline:

"That would be now use. Didn't you tell me that not even the teachers get involved with these Dragon people?"

"Yeah, but…", she drops her gaze, "maybe, you should at least tell Miss Blender. She might be young and inexperienced, but she cares about us. She even tries to encourage Gray and Salamander to change their lifestyle. They don't listen to her, thought…"

"You see. Let's just forget about it. I mean what can Salamander do with everyone watching?"

However, I'm not convinced by my own words. Yesterday everyone was watching as well, and nobody did anything to stop this mad guy. I feel my whole body tensing up as we enter our classroom. Why do these people of all things have to be in our class?

My worries appear to be for nothing as the four seats in the back of the classroom are still as empty as the day before. Levy and me both sigh in relief. It's like a burden is lifted of my shoulders.

Nonetheless, I feel everyone in class staring at me and whispering. I cock an eyebrow and ask Levy about. She just shrugs her shoulders as confused as me. As I take my seat a boy carefully walks up to me. He has an average face and his black hair is neatly parted to one side.

"Hi Warren, how are you doing?", Levy smiles at him.

He nods his head to greet her but doesn't answer her question. Instead he just looks me up and down. I nervously shift around on my chair.

"Your name was Lucy Heartfilia, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Warren Rocko." I'm glad I still remember his name. Yet, it doesn't impress him the least.  
"I heard you got into a fight with the Red Salamander, yesterday. Is that true?"

"I wouldn't call it a _fight_ ", I grumble, "he was the one who started it…"

"Is it true that he forced himself onto you?", the head of a pale lavender haired girl with round glasses pops up right next to my desk.

I blush:  
"Um…", I seriously don't know how to answer that question. Sure, I understand that what Salamander did to me as sexually harassment, but his intention was probably just to get this damn pack of cigarettes… and not to… My face starts to burn up in embarrassment.

"Don't pester Lucy- can with your unnecessary questions, Laki- chan", Levy snaps at her classmate.

Laki adjusts her glasses:  
"I just wanted to make sure that this bastard didn't try anything funny on an innocent girl. I hate perverts the most."

She flashes me a smile:  
"My name is Laki Olietta. I'm the president of our school's women's rights club. If you like to, you may join us."

"Um…thanks", I say. I'm not sure if I'm confident enough to join a political club. I'm not very good with speeches and discussions.

"Don't interrupt me, Laki", Warren edges the girl aside, "so what happened with Salamander, Lucy- san? Did you anger him? Will he terrorize our class again?"

"Are you blaming Lucy- san, now?", Laki snarls at the guy.

He gets all flustered and defensively shakes his head:

"No, no. This is not what I meant to say. It's just that I'm worried…"

I bit my bottom lip. Does this mean that my conflict with Red Salamander could affect the whole class? I did not even think about that before and I feel guilty now.

"Look at Lucy- san being all troubled now by your stupidity!", Laki snaps at him.

"Well, I didn't mean to, but…", he snaps back at her.

The two of them start to bicker while Levy gives me a sympathetic look:  
"Don't worry about what they're saying. The don't blame you or anything. It's just that everyone is really scared of the _Dragon Slayers_ , especially Warren. A few month ago, he had a crush on Mirajane and confessed his love to her. After that, Salamander and Fullbuster tied him down in front of the gate, just in his underwear…"

"Hey, don't tell her the most embarrassing story of my life!", Warren yells, his face beet red.

"That's so mean", I say, "how can they be so cruel?"

"Exactly!", Warren cries, "thank you for understanding, Lucy- san!"

I give him a cheery smile.

"Don't be too nice to him or he'll fall for you as well", a guy sitting next to me advices and rolls his eyes. He has black, messy hair and wears some prominent ear piercings. Upon my questionably look, he softly bows his head:  
"I'm Alzack. Nice to meet you."

"Just because you have a girlfriend, doesn't mean you're any better than me!", Warren talks back, "after all, it took you two years to ask Bisca for a date!"

Alzack blushes as well as the green- haired girl next to him. I suppose she's said Bisca. Soon, the guys are at each other's throat with Laki and Bisca trying to sperate them.

"Are they always like this?", I ask Levy.

She laughs:  
"I guess. Although we might argue a lot, we usually get along pretty well."

I take look around the classroom. Levy's right. The atmosphere is pretty good. Everyone looks relaxed and cheerful. This doesn't even change when Miss Blender enters the classroom. We greet her politely and she takes attendance. Each time she calls the name of one of the four people missing in the back, she raises an eyebrow and sighs, but she doesn't say anything. As she reaches my name, she gives me a warm smile:  
"I hope you settled well so far, Miss Heartfilia?"

"Yes", I nod my head. For a moment, I think about telling her about the other day, but I decide to keep it to myself. So far, nothing else had happened, so there was no need to unnecessarily worry her.

"By the way, the headmaster told me that you can get your school uniform tomorrow. If you come to the teacher's office later, I'll give you the address."

"Sure." Finally, some good news. I was fed up with being looked at by the other students as I still had to wear my former uniform.

* * *

The first two periods pass without any noteworthy occurrences. I get along well with everyone in my new class, even though some of them are still whispering behind my back.

"They're just impressed by you", Laki tells me during lunch break.

Me and Levy decided to have our lunch inside the classroom today. Laki joins us. She also wanted to ask Bisca, but the green- haired girl was nowhere to be found. Same as Alzack. It doesn't take a genius to put one and one together.

"Why should they be impressed?", I questionably look at Laki.

"Hardly anyone dares to go against Red Salamander. It was just your first day and you already stood up to him", she explains matter of factly.

"Yeah, but just because I didn't recognize him", I mumble and halfheartedly bite into my fish cake. As I overslept this morning, I had no time to prepare myself a proper lunch again.

"And this is all because I didn't warn you…", Levy whined.

Anyone could tell that she was still feeling guilty. I open my mouth to tell her to forget about it when Warren yanks the door open and stumbles into the classroom. He is breathing heavily, and his eyes are filled with terror. Everyone stares at him in shock.

"What happened?", Levy asks.

"B-bad news!", he tries to catch his breath. His whole body is trembling.

"Just spill the beans already!", Laki says impatiently.

"Salamander…Salamander and the others are on their way here!"

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter Two.**_

* _hikikomori_ : A Japanese term for people who shut themselves inside their room and prefer a socially isolated lifestyle.


	4. CHAPTER THREE: Tremor

_**©Sunrisepainter**_ : _Once Upon a Time in Magnolia_

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 **A/N:** _Thanks again for all your nice comments. I wanted to upload this chapter before I leave for my holdidays, so I didn't have enough time to correct any mistakes, but enjoy reading anyway. As soon as I am back, I will reupload the corrected version._

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Introduced in this chapter:

 **\- Cana Alberona** (17, student): member of the Dragon slayer, daughter of a famous yakuza boss and passionate drunkard, class 2-D

 **\- Mirajane Strauss** (17, student): member of the Dragon Slayer who usually is a nice and innocent girl whereas in a fight she turns into a demon, class 2-D

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 **CHAPTER THREE:** Tremor

"Salamander is on his way here", Warren repeats when no one else says anything, "what should we do?"

I feel something cold running down my spine. My whole body goes numb. The faces around me look all hazy and fuzzy, but I can still see the terror in everyone's eyes.  
"Shit!", someone curses, and some girls start to whisper. They sound scared. Levy automatically grasps my wrist. Her face doesn't look any better than mine. I try to think about how to get out of here, but my mind is all blank. The only one who seems to keep her composure is Laki:  
"Let's just act as if we don't notice them. Maybe, they'll leave soon…"

"This is bad, this is bad…" Warren mumbles while he rocks back and forth in his seat.

"Hey, let's just get out of here", Levy whispers in my ear. I force myself to nod. However, just when we're about to raise from our seats, we can hear it: Heavy footsteps down the hallway.

My blood runs cold. It's too late.

The door is opened forcefully which sakes all windows. Everyone in the classroom tenses up. Even Laki clutches her desk now as if it would protect her from any harm. I quickly cover my face with my hair and carefully peek at the door. Slowly, the Red Salamander walks into the room. He looks the same as the day before: spiky pinkish hair, darting onyx eyes. He is followed by a bored looking Gray Fullbuster and two girls I haven't seen before. The first one has brown, curly hair and green eyes. She wears an extra-long version of the school's skirt and her blouse is pretty tight, showing off her large breasts.  
" 'sup, folks", she smirks and looks pretty amused by her classmates scared faces.

The other girl is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. She has fine features, porcelain skin, big blue eyes and white silky wavy hair. She reminds me of a china doll I use to have when I was younger. Fragile and beautiful. She's the only one of the four who greets her classmates with an angelic smile. This must be Mirajane, the one Warren confessed to. And the other one is probably Cana. No doubt about it.

I can see Salamaders' eyes searching the room when they land on me, his lips curl up in a sardonic kind of way. I quickly avert my gaze and hold my breath. Form the corner of my eyes, I can see his feet moving in my direction. I'm relieved as he just passes me by without saying anything, but I crow to soon.

"This is my seat now!", he says in a threatening voice to the person sitting right behind me.

"Y- yes", the guy behind me stutters in fear and scrambles to another desk. With a loud noise, Salamander sits down right behind me and puts his boots on his table. My hands clasp the edge of my desk as I feel his eyes piercing through my back. His friends take the other desks around me, Levy and Laki, so that we're surrounded.

"So, you're the one who kicked Natsu's ass", Cana bows down to me and examines my face. Then she starts to laugh and pats my shoulder:

"Way to go, blondie!"

I tense up even more. Is she praising me or making fun of me? I just keep my mouth shut and my eyes on my desk.

"Oh, she seems to be a little shy", I hear Mira say in a voice which is as angelic as her smile, "your name is Lucy Heartfilia, right? You're really pretty."

As I peek in her direction, she smiles at me. What are these people up to? Why are they suddenly so nice to me? Is this part of their plan? Buttering up to before beating me to a pulp?

"Shut it!", Salamander roars and kicks the back of my chair. I shriek and clutch my desk until my knuckles turn white. I can feel his breath on my neck as he leans in closer. Instinctively, I pull up my shoulders and squeeze my eyes.

"Listen blonde bimbo, you still owe me some cigars", he snarls, and his husky voice gets my hackles up. I keep my eyes shut and try not to move. I'm too scared to remind him dropping his cigarettes into the water was not my fault to begin with.

"Unless you don't want to make life for you and your new friends a living hell, bring a new pack to the roof top after school. Alone. And don't you dare tell a teacher!" He pulls my hair, so that my head darts back and I'm forced to look at him from upside down. His eyes shoot daggers at me. Tears well up in my eyes because of the pain and the fear.

"Y-yes", I cannot recognize my own voice as its filled with terror.

"Good girl", he smirks and finally let's go of my hair. He raises to his feet and walks out the door.

"See you later, Lucy- chan", Mirajane crosses her arms behind her back and smiles at me.

"And don't you forget our appointment, blondie", Cana cackles as the two girls follow their leader. The only one left is Gray. The whole time his friends talked to me, he has stared outside the window with his hands in his pockets. As I watch him from the corner of my eye, I can't say what he's thinking right now. His face is a closed book to me.

"How were the cookies?", he asks me out of a blue. His voice sounds indifferent. I wonder why he even asks if he's not interested in the first place.  
"G-good", I lie, "thank you."

He watches me closely and I blush. Did he see through my lie? However, he says nothing more. He just nods his head and leaves the classroom.

* * *

When the four of them are gone, the whole class simultaneously sighs in relief. It's like time starts ticking again. Everyone gives me a sympathetic look and I slouch my shoulders.

"Are you okay?", Levy asks me. She looks worried.  
"I'm not sure", I mumble. My voice still trembles, but at least the feeling of dizziness is gone.

"That was weird", Warren frowns, "I expected them to drag Lucy- san outside and beat her up…"

"Will you really go to the rooftop?" Laki asks me. I shrug my shoulders. I was too overwhelmed to think about that.

"Let's go together", Levy suggests.

"NO!", I say, and I'm surprised myself about my sudden loud voice. I clear my throat and clutch my hands:

"I mean I have to go alone. Didn't you hear them? I don't want anyone of you to get hurt."

"Aw, you're so sweet!", Laki squeaks and hugs me.  
"Are you sure about that?", Bisca asks me. I didn't even realize that she and Alzack came back. No, I'm not sure about the whole thing with Salamander and his gang. I'm scared. However, I can't tell them. I better listen to those bunch of delinquents if I don't want to make this matter any bigger.

"I have to. I give him his stupid cigarettes and apologize for kicking him. Let's just hope, he'll let it slide after that…" I try to smile at my classmates. They all know it's a fake smile, but nobody tries to talk me out of it. They sense that I already made my decision, no matter what they would say to me.

"Sorry Levy- chan, I can't go to your house today", I apologize. She just smiles:  
"Don't worry, let's do it some other time after you've solved your problem."

I nod and decide that she'll be my best friend from now on.

* * *

After school, I immediately go to buy some cigarettes for Salamander. Well, it's actually not _me_ buying them as I'm still underaged. I somehow end up having a middle- aged man doing it for me. I have to flutter my eyelashes at him and purse my lips to get him all flustered and instantly doing what I ask of him. As a service in return, he wants to meet me in a bar later. I must stop myself from throwing up when I hand him my (fake!) phone number with a seductive wink. Fortunately, he buys my lie and leaves with his face all red. I feel disgusted by myself. However, I would do almost everything to get Salamander of my back.

I take a deep breath before I walk the stairs to Fairy High's rooftop. It's a peaceful afternoon. I can hear the shouting of the football club doing their afternoon training. In the music room, someone plays the piano. I still don't know which club I should join. At my old school, I had been part of the tea ceremony club as my father wanted me to. I never liked it, thought. Now, that I don't have to follow my father's standards any more, I am free to choose my own path in life. However, I still don't know what I enjoy doing or what I am good at. As my life had been planned out for me (marry into a wealthy family, being a good mother and wife etc.), I never had the chance to contract a passion for anything. Besides, I have to sort out my problems before I could enjoy a peaceful school life in the first place.

My hands shake like crazy as I place them on the door handle of the rooftop entrance.

Am I ready to face them all on my own?

Do I really have the guts to open this door?

I take a few deep breaths and clutch the white plastic back in my right hand. There was no helping it. I already seduced a middle- aged man (even thought it was fake) and want to resolve this thing once and for all. I would apologize to Salamander and his friends, compensate him for the packs of cigarettes and ask them to leave me and my new friends alone from now on.

Determined I raise my chin a bit and open the door. To my surprise the roof top is deserted. There is no one and nothing except for a couple of chairs.

I frown. Did they forget about our meeting? My heart starts to flutter. Perhaps, they forgot all about me and already found someone else to pick on.

"Yo, blondie!" I wince as I hear a familiar voice above my head. I look up and see Cana's head peeking over the edge of the entrance building to the rooftop.

"Get your ass up here!"

Is she serious? I suspiciously glance at the rusty, wall-mounted latter. The dark- haired girl smirks at my reaction:  
"What? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights?"

Did I already say that I don't like this girl at all? She is like a female wolf. Mira's head pops up next to Cana's. In contrast to her friend, she gives me an encouraging smile:  
"Come on, Lucy- chan, it's not as dangerous as it looks."

I have no other choice. I want to get this over and done with. Clumsily I start to climb up the ladder. It was not as easy as Mira said as I tried not to look down while I also had to hold on to the plastic back. I can feel my heart beating like a drum. When I almost reached the top, I slip and close my eyes, expecting to hit the ground any minute. However, big, cold hands grip mine and strong arms pull me up onto the rooftop entrance enclosure. Blue indifferent looking eyes meet mine. I wink a few times and mumble shyly:

"Thanks."

Gray Fullbuster just shrugs his shoulders and coolly sits down on a chair the wrong way up.

"How can a gracious looking person be such a klutz?!", Cana laughs at me and leans onto a baseball bat. I glare at her.

"You're okay, Lucy- chan?", Mira softly touches my shoulder and gives me a worried expression. I just nod my head even though I don't feel okay at all. I try to stay as far away from the edges of the small enclosure as possible. Still, I cannot fight the funny feeling in my stomach.

"Stop mollycoddling her, Mira!", I hear the voice of the person I hate the most in the world (aside from my father). Salamader sits cross-legged on a bench, his intimidating eyes fixed on me. My legs turn to jelly, but I try to look at him with confidence in my eyes

"Did you get my cigas?", he asks. I nod my head and clear my throat. I chose my next words wisely:

"I did you get the same brand of cigarettes and some snacks. So, I hope you're satisfied with that. I sincerely apologize for kicking you back then. I just misunderstood something", I bow my head and feel as if I am betraying my strong sense of justice. After all, I had a good reason for kicking him. Salamander doesn't answer. From the corner of my eyes I can see the smug grin on his face which almost makes me snap. What a jerk!

"Let's see what you've got there, blondie", Cana snatches the plastic back from my hand and rummages through it. She looks disappointed:  
"No booze?"

I raise an eyebrow:

"You only told me to get some cigarettes and snacks. No one said anything about alcohol…"

"Next time you have to do better, blondie", the brown- haired girl grumbles. Next time? What does she mean by that?

"Don't look so surprised", Salamander raises to his feet, walks towards me and stops right in front of me. I clench my fist and glare up to him. He looks quite amused:

"From now on you bring us snacks and cigas every day."

"And booze", Cana adds.

Salamander rolls his eyes but nods his head. I open my mouth to say something, but the words just won't come out. I look at Mira and Gray for help. I don't know what I expect from them. Maybe, I want them to speak in my favor. I mean, Mira doesn't seem like the kind of girl who would bully others and Gray…well…he helped me twice already, right? However, Mira just smiles like she usually does, and Gray just looks indifferently up to the sky. No, I have to stand up for myself now. I close my eyes and take a few breathes before I force myself to crack a fake smile at the hateful person in front of me:

"I compensated you for the loss of – by the way very unhealthy – cigarettes and even apologized to you. I think I don't have to run any other errands for you. Just leave me and my friends alone and everything will be fine…"

I don't even know where this sudden confidence comes from, but I appreciate it. Salamander squints his right eye and raises his left eyebrow which makes him look quite dangerous. Automatically I put my head between my shoulders. Did I go too far this time?

Suddenly Cana starts laughing and hits my back with such force that I stumble forward and crash into Salamander.  
"You're really funny, blondie! I thought you were some boring wimp, but you actually have some guts! I like you."

Well, I don't like her but like hell I would say that aloud.

"Would you mind moving your stupid hands!" I hear a growling voice above my head. It was only then that I realized my hands were still pressed against Salamander's chest, I blush and dart back like a scalded cat. He brushes the place where my hands had touched his school uniform with the back of his own hands as if I were someone dirty. Then, he sighs deeply:  
"Gosh, ya really annoying, ya know? How can someone be so dense? Just because you brought my cigars and apologized doesn't mean were even."

I can literally feel all color fading from my face when he says that.

"Wh- what?"

He smirks and leans in closer again, so that our foreheads almost touch:

"Are you deaf or what? I said you're our errand girl, alright?"

"Let's get along from now on, Lucy- chan!", Mira rejoices and hugs me from behind. I'm too flabbergasted as to react. In shock, I stare back and forth between the four people in front of me. What is wrong with them? Why would they make me do something like this? Is this supposed to be the beginning of months of bullying? And why do they make it sound as if it is something I would enjoy doing?

"I think this is enough for now. You can go home", Salamander puts his finger in his ear and looks quite bored, "just make sure to be here tomorrow as well."

"See ya, blondie. Don't forget the booze!" Cana smirks.

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Lucy- chan", Mira winks at me with her angelic smile. Gray grunts. What is going on? Automatically my feed makes me turn around and leaving the rooftop.

* * *

Near the school entrance, Levy is waiting for me.

"What did they do? You look startled…" Her eyes flicker in agitation. I don't answer but just keep on going. I fasten my steps until I start running.

"Wait. Lucy- chan, what is going on? Did they hurt you?" Levy has troubles keeping up with my longer legs. She's alarmed because of my strange behavior. But it was only after we reached the crossroad we both split up the day before when I finally stop and catch my breath.

"Gosh, you're fast", Levy pants.

"I'm sorry, Levy- chan", I say after I caught my breath, "I just wanted to leave as soon as possible…"

"Did something happen?"

I briefly tell her what happened on the roof top. Levy's eyes widen:  
"They can't be serious! This is not acceptable! You have to report them to a teacher!"

I bite my bottom lip and have to stop myself from bursting out in tears:  
"I can't! You said yourself that not even the teacher can stop these horrible people. Ah, I should've stayed home today after all…"

"I'm sorry, Lucy- chan", Levy's expressions were filled with guilt, "if only I would've went with you…"

"You couldn't have done anything anyway. I don't want to insult you or anything, but these thugs are too much for us average people to handle…"  
"You're probably right...", Levy mumbled, but then her face lit up.

"Yes, Lucy-chan, that's it!"

"What do you mean?", I cock an eyebrow. She suddenly looks a little excited:

"We as average people can't do anything to stop them, but maybe a person who's _not_ average!"

"Do you know someone like that?", I can't hide my curiosity.

"Well, it's not that I'm very close to this person, but she is the only one who can control the Slayer. They respect her, but…?"

"But?", I ask. Levy puts her hand to her chin, musing:  
"She rarely bothers to involve herself in other people's business. Plus, she is a very busy person as she's the head of the kendo club and the school council's president."  
"So, she is our president", I nod my head. Of course, the school's council is responsible for every student's well-being which means they also have to protect everyone from the _Dragon Slayer's_.

"I'm not sure if she can help us with those bunch, thought…what if she can't and they'll get to me for snitching on them?", I say. Levy nods in agreement:  
"You might have a point. Still, let's talk about it tomorrow."

* * *

After Levy and I decided on a time to meet, we go our separate ways. As I reach my room, my head is still spinning with lots of questions. I still couldn't understand why Salamander and his friends made me their personal maid. Well, I clashed with him on my first day, but I apologized. There was no reason for them to make my life harder as it already was.

"What's wrong, Lucy- san? You look kind of down", Wendy asks me when I meet her in the hallway. She still wears her school uniform, just like me.

"Did you find Carla?", I ask her instead of answering her question.

"No", she shakes her head and snobs, "I hope she isn't in any danger or so…"

"Don't even think about that. Let's go looking for her again", I propose. Wendy smiles half-heartedly:  
"Thanks, but today I have to go see my relatives." I cocked an eyebrow:

"These people don't want you to stay with them, but you still pay them a visit?"

"I have to", Wendy's face looks said, "my uncle is a politician and I'm kind of their "social project". Once a while I have to pose with them for show. This evening we're going to have dinner with some important trade partner from China."

"That's disgusting! Don't let them use you like that!", I can feel the righteous side in me boiling with anger. Wendy looks up to me and her eyes looks so much wiser than of any other 13- year old girl:  
"I can't. I know it's foolish of me, but I need them, I'm still underaged and can't go to work. I need them to pay for my room and my tuition fees. I have no other choice!"

I feel my chest tightening. Wendy is so much younger than me, yet she already went through so much. Losing first her father and then her mother along with her step-dad. Plus, she is used by their evil relatives to gain their own reputation. It's just not fair. I swallow down my anger and try to give the younger girl a soft smile:

"Aright, then I will go look for your cat on my own."

"Oh, you mustn't, Lucy- san", Wendy made a gesture of refusal.

"Don't worry, I wanted to go grocery shopping anyway. I can take a look around while going to the supermarket." This was a lie, but I couldn't tell her that I needed to do something to get my mind of some bullies at school who made me into their personal servant.

Wendy's eyes lightened up and she bowed her head a few times in a row:  
"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

* * *

Later that evening, I take a stroll along the canal. From time to time, I stop and search an alleyway for a white cat with a ribbon on its tail. I also brought some posters with me, posting them randomly on walls and lampposts. The mild breeze this evening feels nice. I jump onto the edge of the canal, open my arms and carefully taking one step at a time.

"Be careful, young lady!", I hear someone shout from the other side of the canal. I can't hear them as I'm lost in thoughts again. Is our school's president really strong enough to get Salamander and his gang under control? And would he help us in the first place? What would happen if he couldn't change anything? Would I be kicked around by the Dragon Slayers until graduation?

"Excuse me", as someone touches my arm, I startle and look at them with my eyes wide open. It's a middle- aged man, probably an office worker going home. He looks like he's in a hurry.  
"If I were you, I would leave here right away. I saw some dangerous looking people fighting over there", he says and points towards a nearby bridge. Then, he quickly walks of.

I squint my eyes and look towards the direction the man pointed at. Indeed! There were some swift movements under the bridge. At the same time, I hear the siren of two police cars stopping on top of the bridge. I watch a few police men getting out the cars and different voices yelling and screaming. Just when I jump down the canal's edge to go home, I hear fast steps behind me. Upon turning around, someone crashes into me with full speed. The impact makes us both fall to the ground and I immediately feel a sharp pain on my chin which hit the ground.

"Shit!" I a voice groan and the weight which presses me down is suddenly gone. I scramble to my feet and stare at the person who run into me. My eyes widen, and he doesn't look less surprised than me.  
"You!", we yell at the same time.

"Stop right here!", the police men head towards our direction.

"Shit!", Salamander repeats his curse. His looks back and forth between me and the policemen, then he grasps my hand without any further ado and drags me with him.

In shock, my feet move on their own. There is no reason for me to run from the police. I didn't do anything wrong. Yet, I run. We wind through countless narrow alleys, one darker than the other. One of my hands is captured by a dangerous delinquent, the other somehow still holds on to the pile of posters. The situation seems pretty messed up and yet, I let myself get dragged along. Perhaps, it's because I'm too surprised or maybe, it's because I don't feel like going against Salamander again. I can't tell.

* * *

Finally, we come to a halt under a streetlight near a park. We're both out of breath. My heart's racing.  
"Why do people always call the cops? Can't they mind their own business already?", Salamander grumbles. He looks very pissed. All in all, he looks more dangerous than ever. The streetlight illuminates only parts of his face, making his messy hair look like burning fire. His face is bruised and there is blood dripping from a cut on his left cheek, staining his school uniform. I slowly draw back and look for a way to make an escape. However, his eyes now focus on me and his expressions change. How I hate this arrogant smirk of his!

"I guess we're partners in crime now, bimbo- chan", he purrs. I perk my eyebrow up which probably makes me look stupid:

"Say what?"

He leans in closer so that our faces only inches apart. His amusement is more than conspicuous:

"You run with me from the cops just now which makes you as suspicious as me. They probably already blacklisted you…"

"No way!", my eyes widen. He can't be serious, right? I mean, the police didn't even see my face so why would they go after me? I wasn't even involved in some stupid fight! His grin broadens. He's toying with me! I forget that I'm supposed to be scared of him and furiously I push him away:

"You're nuts! Don't get me involved in your childish games!" I turn on my heel and take a few steps, then I stop. Where the hell am I?

I've never been in this part of the town. I don't recognize either the street names nor the buildings.

"Oh my, you're a lost kitten, too, so it seems!", I hear that annoying guy say. I glare at him and see him standing behind me, waving one of my posters. I must've dropped it while pushing him.

"That's mine", I say, snatch the poster from his hand and walk off. Even though I don't know how to get home, I won't spend another minute with this bastard! However, he must have been some sort of gum in his past life as he sticks to my heels.

"Is that your cat?", he asks as if we were close enough to get to know each other better.

"None of your business", I mumble and fasten my steps. I can almost hear his smirk as he says:

"Compared to this morning, you're pretty sharp- tongued. Finally, showing your true colors, eh?"  
I press my lips together and keep silent. If I just keep on going, he might get bored and leave me alone.

"That's the wrong way. You have to turn left, now", his voice still sounds amuse. I stop and hesitate, then I turn right. He chuckles:  
"You're smarter than I though."  
"I would never trust someone like you!", I hiss without looking at him.

"Someone like me?", he repeats somewhat musing, "damn, that's cold! You're not cute at all."

I abruptly stop which makes him bump into me.

"Ouch! You're not only mean, but also dangerous to public safety…"

I glare at him:

"You're calling me dangerous? Look who's talking! You're arrogant, ruthless and a psycho! I would never want someone like you to find me cute! I rather get beaten to a pulp by you and your friends than becoming your stupid errand-girl!" With that I start running without looking back. I don't care that he might be the only one telling me the way home or at least back to where we came from. I just want to get away from him as far as possible.

Just when I'm sure, he can't see me anymore, I dare to slow down. It's then when I realize what I've just done.

"Oh no, no, no, no…!", I matter under my breath. Have I gone completely berserk? Why did I have to make things worse? Breathlessly I bang my head against a board fence and curse myself for my short temper.

Unfortunately, it was even worse than I imagined. After calling him all sorts of things and making a run for it, Salamander stares after me. His eyes are filled with delight, pleasant anticipation and thrill.

"Interesting", he mumbles to himself, puts his hands in his pockets and walks away with a creepy smile on his face that would have made me shudder if I had seen it.

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter Three.**_


	5. CHAPTER FOUR: Alliance

**©Sunrisepainter:** _One Upon a Time in Magnolia_

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hi everyone! Wow, half a year went by in a rush and there was no time for me to upload a new chapter. I hope you don't hate me, but here was so much going on in my life. I graduated from uni and started working. Yet, I don't plan to abandon this story. To tell the truth, I'm not very proud of this chapter, but I'll try better next time. Now that Lucy starts to settle down in her new life, it's time for me to heat things up. So, stay tuned!_

* * *

Introduced in this chapter:

 **\- Erza Scarlet** (18, student): student body president, president of the school's kendo club and respected senpai by everyone in school, the only one who can stop the Dragon Slayers, she likes cake and cute girls (not in a romantic way), class 3-A

 **\- Mr. Strauss** (29, teacher): teaches P.E. at Fairy High, big brother of Mirajane, he looks rough on the outside but is in fact kind-hearted

 **\- Gajeel** (18, student): member of the _Dragon Slayers_ , he's ruthless and easily provoked, he doesn't like other people telling him what to do, class 3-C

 **\- Juvia Lockster** (17, student): member of the Dragon Slayers, has a thing for Gray and sees every other girl as a threat, class 2-A

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR:** Alliance

"What the heck happened to your face?", Levy stares at me in disbelief as we meet at our usual spot early in the morning. I feel her astonishment. I look terrible. There are dark circles under my eyes and I limp because of some blisters under my feed. Plus, my chin is badly scratched. The plaster I found somewhere in my moving boxes doesn't even cover half of the wound. All in all, I'm in a bad shape.

"Last night, I got lost in my neighborhood and it took me almost two hours to find my way back home. While walking through the dark, I tripped over something and bashed my chin open."

Well, that's only half of the truth. I deliberately keep the part with bumping into Salamander a secret. I don't even know why, but it just feels right this way. However, I forgot how sharp-witted she is.

"Does it have something to do with the text I got from you in the middle of the night?", she asks. I press my lips together and try to look as innocent as possible:

"Not really. Why do you think so?"

She squints her eyes, but to my relief she just drops the subject:

"So, you finally decided to ask our president for help?"

I nod. While wandering around at night, I had a lot of time to think about my messed-up situation and all my thoughts leaded to the same conclusion: it's all Salamander's fault.

He attacked me first, harassed me, made me into a fool in front of the whole school and left me cluelessly straying around at night. He's the root of it all. The longer I walked around last night, the more anger swelled up inside of me. As soon as I managed to get home, I got my phone (unfortunately, I had left it in my school bag in my room) and furiously typed Levy a text telling her to bring our school's president into the loop after all. By now, I stoop to everything to bring Salamander and his gang down. Once and for all.

"Wow, your eyes look the same as at that time…", Levy eyes me up and down. I questionably cock an eyebrow.

"Your eyes, they blaze with anger. They looked like this, too, before you kicked Salamander in the back", she explains and sighs, "seriously, I really hope kaichou can stop all this madness. Did you get what I told you to?"

"Sure", I carefully lift the pink bag up to show it to her, "but I still don't understand why you asked me to buy a cake." Levy smiles and winks:

"You'll see for yourself soon. Let's go!"

She takes my hand and takes me along with her. Oddly enough, I'm reminded of the night before when Salamander did the same. However, his hand was much bigger than Levy's. And rougher. And warmer, almost hot, but not in an uncomfortable way.

I forcefully shake my head. No, this is definitely not the time to ponder over useless things! Pull yourself together, Lucy!

When Levy and I reach the school building, it's only half past seven. Naturally, the school grounds are still empty and lifeless.

"Somehow it feels strange to be at school this early", I whisper as we walk across the school grounds towards a small building next to the main building.

"You know, there's no need for you to whisper", Levy chuckles, "besides, this might be our only change to speak with kaichou in private. She's the only one on the kendo club who starts training this early."  
"Wow, she's our school's president, president of the kendo club _and_ she still comes early for training? She must be a busy person…"

"Yeah, she's…unique", Levy smiles.

"What do you mean?", I ask and cock an eyebrow.

"Just see for yourself", the blue- haired girls answers amusedly as we enter the school's dojo.

Moments later, I kind of get what Levy meant by "unique". Our president is a beautiful girl with deep red hair (which is pulled into a high ponytail) and gorgeous brown eyes. Even in her bogu* I can tell that she has curves just in the right places. My first thought upon seeing her is that she must have a lot of admirers. However, as soon as she picks up her shinai (kendo sword) the atmosphere around her changes. Her eyes are focused and intimidating. She starts wielding her sword while shouting some kendo terms. I unconsciously back off a little. She seriously looks like someone you shouldn't take lightly.

"Let's go!", Levy takes my hands and pulls me into the dojo. I try to resist, but surprisingly this tiny person is quite strong.  
"Don't worry, Lucy- chan. Our president Erza Scarlet might look a bit unapproachable, but she is pretty nice. At least with girls", my so-called _friend_ gives me a light push in the back, and I stumble forward. My clumsy steps make Erza look at me. Her eyes pierce into mine me like a cold knife. It feels as if she sees right through me.

"What's going on?", she lowers her sword. I can't tell what she's thinking. Is she angry for disturbing her training?  
"Um….", I mumble and nervously tip my fingers together. Helplessly I look at Levy, but she just gives me an encouraging smile.

I take a deep breath:

"Um…I'm sorry to bother you this early…I…the thing is…so…my name's Lucy Heartfilia. I'm a transfer student…", I politely bow my head.

"Wah…", Erza stares at me and blinks a few times. I'm confused. Did I say anything strange? Her face looks kind of creepy…

"You're so cute", she says and smiles at me. I blush under her intense gaze.

"Well…um…thanks…I guess", I just say and smile back. She leans in to have a closer look at my face:

"Your skin is really smooth, and I've never seen such beautiful eyes…"

"Um…", I'm overwhelmed by her sudden behavior. I thought she was a cold person and hard to approach, but her eyes are shining as if I am some cute pet. The atmosphere around her has changed completely within seconds.

"Um…kaichou, Lucy really needs your help…"

"Ah, I'm sorry", Erza steps back and smiles apologetically, "I just can't help myself when I see cute girls like you…I really admire them…So, what do you want me to help with?"

"The thing is, I kind of clashed with the Red Salamander the other day. Now, he and is gang made me into their personal maid and threaten me to buy stuff for them. They say they hurt my friends if I don't do what they want. I don't know how to stop them as everyone seems afraid of them and I am, too. And-"  
"Take a breath, Lucy- san", Erza interrupts my rambling. I nod my head and try to calm myself down. Comforting Levy puts her hand on my shoulder and I give her a thankful smile. Erza on the other hand looks lost in thoughts.

"May I touch your hair, Lucy-san?", she asks me out of the blue. There's a faint blush on her cheeks. What the hell is wrong with the people in this school?

"S-Sure…", I say awkwardly. She strokes my hair and giggles:

"Wow, it's so soft and fluffy." Her eyes look like that of a child now. Helplessly I search for Levy's eyes. To my relief, she also looks confused by our president's behavior. She clears her throat:

"Could you please talk to the _Dragon Slayer's_ in Lucy's favor? You're the only one Salamander listens to, kaichou..."

Erza musingly raises an eyebrow and says cautiously:  
"Well, as much as I want to help the both of you, it is not my nature to meddle in other's people's business."

"Please, kaichou", I beg her, "could you not at least come with me to the rooftop after school? You don't need to talk to them, but just your presence might help me to stand up against them…"

"Well, I heard that Natsu is going way too far lately. I heard some teachers complain about him and the others skipping class as well", she says. Levy elbows me and point at the paper bag still in my hands. I nod and show it to Erza:

"Um…if you help me out, you can have this cake."

The president stares back and forth between me and the bag:  
"Is this…?"  
"Yeah, it's a strawberry cake from _Gâteau Heureuse_. It's your favorite patisserie, right?", Levy winks at me while Erza's face lit up. She stares at the bag in my hands as if her life is depending on it.

"Aright, aright, I can't say no to you looking at me with your big blue eyes, Lucy-chan. Plus, it's been so long I've had such a good cake", she finally sighs.  
"Thank you, kaichou", I politely bow my head and can't help but feel relieved. Even though I still have to face Salamander once again, I will have someone backing me up. I hope that he will be as intimidated by Erza's harsh personality as I am.

* * *

As the day before, the _Dragon Slayers_ skip class this morning as well. I'm much calmer since Erza told me she would come with me. I finally get my new school uniform, too. After changing into the grey skirt and the yellowish slipover, I'm glad I fit in with everyone else now.

"I liked your old uniform better", Laki says as she looks me up and down, "you looked more…how should I put it…?"  
"Graceful, conceited, high- class", Levy suggests.

"Are you offending or praising me right now?", I huff. Levy just grins.

"Don't listen to them. You probably look good in everything you wear", Warren says. I blush.

"Stop saying embarrassing things!", Laki hits the back of his head, "you'll never play in her league. Don't make the same mistake as you did with that Mira- bitch who pretends to be a goody two-shoes!"

"Don't insult, Mira-chan!", Warren jumps onto his feet and glares at the purple haired girl. However, before the two of them can butt heads again, Levy nods towards the door:

"Shush, her brother is heading to our classroom, so don't talk bad about her."

Just when she had finished her sentence, the tallest teacher I've ever seen in my life enters our classroom. And with _tall_ I mean _huge_! He's probably taller than a horse and very well- trained. His hair has the same color as Mira's, but it's spikier. His facial features are rough, and his eyes look as dangerous as Salamanders. There is also a scar running from his right eye down to the bottom part of his face.

"And he is supposed to be a teacher?", I whisper in shock.

"Yeah, he's our P.E. teacher, Mr. Strauss. Don't let his looks deceive you. He's very kind- hearted and soft, except when it comes to sports, thought."  
The young man stops in front of the chalkboard and crosses his arms in front of his chest.  
"Listen guys", his voice is deep and oscillating, "as tomorrow will be sunny, I decided to have class at the pool, so-"

He was interrupted as the class starts to rejoice. I also join in as I love swimming.

"Calm down, guys!", Mr. Strauss tries to get back the class attention, but everyone is too excited. Helplessly he looks around the classroom, hoping for someone to help him. His eyes land on the empty seats in the back of the room. Suddenly, his facial expressions change. He looks sad and concerned. Was he probably thinking about his younger sister? It's ironic that of all people the sister of a teacher skips school on a regular basis. I pity him. Family can be a real pain.

Eventually, Mr. Strauss just shakes his head and quietly leaves the room.

* * *

"You know what you want to tell them?", Levy asks me for the third time that day as we head over to the meeting point with Erza.

"As I told you before, I don't", I tell her truthfully, "to be more precise, I don't think it really matters _what_ I say as long as I have kaichou as my life insurance."

"That's true, but don't let your guard down."

"I won't", I smile at her. She seems to be worried about me which kindles a warm feeling inside my heart.

As promised, Erza waits for us in front of the rooftop door. She leans causally against the wall with her arms crossed, her eyes closed, and her brows winkled. It looks as if she's thinking hard.

"Kaichou?", I ask softly. She doesn't react. I exchange glances with Levy who just shrugs her shoulders. Carefully I touch the older girl's arm:  
"Erza- san?"

Her eyes shoot open and she blinks a few times as if she just woke up from a deep slumber. Well, it doesn't seem as if she had been thinking about something pleasant. Her eyes seem vitreous and there's a deep frown on her forehead. I wonder what kind of burdens someone strong as her must carry.

"Wow, I never would have guessed that even cool and composed kaichou could be absentminded sometimes", Levy whispers in my ear. I slightly nod my head and try to flash Erza a smile:

"You're alright, kaichou?"

"I'm fine", she reciprocates my smile but as doesn't sound very convincing. There surely was something on her mind, but it wasn't the right time to interrogate her any further. Beyond that, I'm not as close to her as to meddle into her personal affairs.

"Did you like the cake?", I change subjects. Erzas forced smile turns into a genuine one:

"It was the best cake I had for a while! Thank you so much."

"No worries. You're doing me a favor in return", I reply and nervously shift from one foot to another.

"Don't worry, Lucy- san. I'm with you", comforting Erza puts an arm around my shoulder as she leads me through the rooftop door.

Just like the day before, the _Dragon Slayers_ were on top of the entrance building. However, this time there were six of them. The muscular guy with sharp eyes and lots of piercings is probably Gajeel, the Iron Fist, and the girl must be Juvia then. Her skin is pale and fair. Her blue, wavy hair goes down to her waist and is tied in two pigtails, making her look much younger than she is. She wears our school uniform, but she added lots of frills and ribbons to suggest a Lolita style.

"Oh, it's Lucy-chan", Cana is the first one to see me climbing up the latter. Everyone turns their face to look at me. Gajeel crosses his hand in front of his chest and stares me up and down:

"So, that chick's your new toy, Salamander?"

"She's really ugly", Juvia says with no emotions in her voice. I feel my face heat up in anger. I met people who thought I was a dumb blonde, but no one ever called me ugly.

"Well, I think our Lucy-chan is really, really cute", Cana says and pinches my cheek.

"Cute my ass", Salamander huffs and rubs his nose, "my nose is still swollen because of you. You still owe me an apology."

"I don't owe you anything", to my surprise my voice is not shaking at all this time, "just as I told you yesterday: I'm neither your errand-girl nor your toy. I'd appreciate if you'd just stop calling me up here. In return, I'll promise to never trouble you again. You can do whatever you like at school, but just act as if we've never clashed. That's all I ask of you, Salamander."

Even thought everything in my body tells me not to, I pleadingly bow my head. From the corner of my eye, I can see that Salamander and lazily scratches his belly. I realize that he's not even listening. What a jerk!

My hands turn to fists and I can barely restrain myself from yelling at him. My anger starts to grow when I hear Gajeel's dirty laughter:  
"Ha, ha, that chick seriously talks a lot. Should I shut her pretty, little mouth?"

"Oh, I would love to do it instead! Silly blondes always tick me off!", Juvia purrs and looks at me with her lifeless, callous eyes. I automatically take a step back. These two are way more dangerous than the rest of them!

"Nah, she's not worth it", Salamander answers sluggishly.

"Does that mean there will be no booze for us today?", Cana asks in disappointment.

"You should stop drinking so much. That's not ladylike at all", Gray warns her. I didn't even think he would be listening to our conversation. He lays on his back with his hands crossed behind his back and looks as impassive as always.

"Shut up, Fullbuster!", Cana glares at him.

"Don't talk to Gray like that!", Juvia snaps at Cana. It's the first time her face shows some emotion. It seems that Levy was right when she told me that Juvia had a thing for Gray.

"Ah this I so annoying!", Salamander jumps on to his feet and nonchalantly stops in front of me, "don't pretend to be brave. I know you're scared, little kitten."

His face is the same as the night before in that alleyway: amused and smug. Did I ever say how much I hate this guy? I met a lot of conceited boys in my life, but he's different. Up to now, I only had to deal with people from the high society and they acted all high and mighty because of their money or their parents influence. However, this Salamander guy is different. He's like that because other people fear him for who he is. He's violent and unpredictable. Yet, I don't want him to gain the upper hand.

"I'm not scared", I say with my finger pointing at him while looking him right into the eyes, "and now listen closely, Mr. Arrogant. I'm no one's toy! All my life I had people deciding things over my head, but I won't let that happen anymore. Not from someone like you!" With each word I press my finger against his chest.

I am proud of myself for standing up to him. He seems to be very impressed by me as his face is pale as a sheet and his eyes are wide open.

But wait…

He's not looking at me, but at something right behind me.

I didn't even realize that Erza had followed me in the meantime. Like a personal guard, she stands behind me with her arms cross and her piercing eyes looking daggers at the _Dragon Slayers_.

"Kai- kaichou", Salamander stutters sheepishly and backs off. The others look as terrified as their boss.

"Um, nice to see you, kai- kaichou. Haven't seen y-ou in a whi- while", Cana nervously laughs. Erza doesn't answer her. Her eyes are fixed on Salamander who is seemingly cowed by her presence. In return, I'm very relieved to see her.

"Natsu!", Erzas's voice has a dangerous undertone which even gives me the shivers.

"I didn't do anything, I swear", Salamander puts his hands up in defeat, "and that time I broke your favourite _shinai kenshi_ , it was an accident…actually, it's all Grey's fault!"

"Oi! You-", Grey Fullbuster yells, but quickly draws back as he sees a vein of fury popping out on Erza's forehead.

"NATSU!", her voice is a roar and before anyone can stop her, she leaps forward and sends Salamander flying with just one punch. Damn, she's strong! I have to keep in mind to never get on her bad side.

When Salamander picks himself up again, the look on his face resembled a sulky kid who just got beaten by their older sibling:

"Seriously kaichou, I don't even know why you're mad at me!"

I squeak as Erza puts her arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. I can feel her well- trained body under her school uniform. How can she be so muscular yet look so feminine on the outside?

"If you ever touch Lucy- chan again, I won't hold back anymore", she states with a serious tone.

Salamander looks back and forth between me and Erza in confusion. It seems his brain was barely catching up with all the news that Erza was protecting me now. Finally, he just nodded his head in defeat.

"The same goes for all of you. Lucy- chan is my friend now, so don't bother her anymore", Erza gives the other _Dragon Slayers_ a stern look. Everybody gives their silent consent, even Juvia who doesn't look happy about it at all.

"Don't worry, Erza- san. We never wanted to hurt Lucy- chan. In fact, we think she's pretty amusing", Mira says with her usual angelic smile.

"Yeah, she's funny when she's mad", Cana agrees, "everybody at this school has been no fun lately and she's such an interesting character."

"Yes, isn't she?", Erza's face brightens up and she cuddles me, "she's really, really cute."

I'm too baffled to say anything. Is the president on my side now or not? And what about Mira and Cana? Did I already say that everybody at this school is crazy? I think I can't take it anymore…

Fortunately, Erza pushes me towards the ladder:

"Let's go, Lucy- chan. It seems we misunderstood the situation. They just tried to be friends with you."

I still don't say a thing.

Downstairs Levy is waiting for us, eager to hear how it went.

"Well, I don't know what just happened", I answer, blinking a few times to come back to my senses. My head was spinning like crazy.

"Don't worry, they won't bother Lucy-chan again", Erza says in high spirits while patting my back.  
"That's great!", Levy rejoices.

"Well…", it's all I can utter as I'm still in a loss of words. Suddenly, Salamander's head pops up on the edge of the entrance building.

"Just wait a see, kaichou!", he yells from the top of his lungs, "one day I'll win against you in a one on one!"

Where does this come from? Wasn't he afraid of Erza just now?

Erza just smiles:

"I can't wait for that day to come, Natsu Dragneel. Right now, you're a hundred years too early to challenge me!"

I'm surrounded by lunatics, but at least it seems Erza solved my problem with the Salamander and his gang. So, why should I complain?

* * *

For some reasons, Erza seems to think that we're friends now that I asked her for help. As soon as the bell rings she's always right beside us, following us to lunch, to the library or to the toilet. She isn't talking a lot, but it seems like she's just happy to be with us.

"Wow, I always thought that our kaichou likes to be alone", Levy says to me when we walked home in the afternoon, "she must like you a lot."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not", I admit, "I mean, I'm thankful that she helped me and all, but she's really scary when she's getting angry…"

"Hm", Levy puts a finger on her chin, "it's true that she's a little harsh on the outside, but deep inside she's a really caring person. I know her since kindergarten. Compared to other strong people, she uses her powers to protect the weak. All in all, she's the perfect leader."

"That's for sure", I nod, "I've never seen Salamander like this before."

Levy snickers:

"I can only imagine that. He's really scared of kaichou."

"Yeah, I wonder why does he listen to her anyway? I mean, he's pretty strong himself, isn't he?"

"I'm not sure. I heard that kaichou and Salamander grew up together. Once, she was like his big sister, but for some unknown reason they don't talk a lot. Yet, Salamander has too much respect for her as to go against kaichou."

"I admire her. When I told him to leave me alone, he just laughed at me. I wish I was as strong as kaichou…", I sigh.

"But you have other qualities, Lucy- chan", Levy says, "you're nice, smart and easy to get along with."

There it is again, this warm tingling feeling inside my stomach when Levy praises me. It's the first time I feel a deep connection with another person.

"I like you", I blurt out before I can stop myself. Levy gives me a strange look.

"N- not in any weird way, thought", I stutter, "I mean…Levy-chan, I just wonder if you'd like to be my friend." When she doesn't say anything, I feel really embarrassed. Gosh, I'm really bad with these sorts of things.

"Um, aren't we friends already?", Levy knitted her brows, "or did I misunderstand something?"

Her question takes a load off my mind. Happily, I smile at her:  
"Does that mean you feel the same way about me?"

"Of course", she laughs, "I also like you a lot, Lucy- chan. Let's officially be friends, okay?"

"Um", I nod my head blissfully. She utters a small squeaking sound and hugs me.

* * *

It's the first time I'm looking forward to the next school day. I also don't feel as lonely as usual while having dinner in my room this evening, because I'm texting with Levy. She tells me a lot about her family and especially her annoying brothers. In return I send her some pictures of my room and my favourite books. We realise again how much we have in common.

Then, she asks me if she should rather wear a swimsuit or a bikini tomorrow. I startle up when I read that text. I almost forgot that we're having our next P.E. lesson at the pool. Quickly, I rummage through the few moving boxes that are left unpacked. I've sold of my clothes before I left my old home including all my cute swim wear. However, there's still a plain blue swimsuit left. Sceptically I stretch the fabric. I'm not sure if this still fits. The last time I wore this was ages ago when I was a lot smaller, especially the upper part of my body. I sigh. There's no other way unless I want to go in my birthday suit.

Yet, I decide to try it on before I embarrass myself in front of my new class. I walk into the bathroom and change my clothes. As I predicted, the swimsuit is very tight. It emphasizes my curves more than I'd like. My breasts appear huge in this thing. I turn around a few times in front of the mirror. Oh well, it should be fine. No one will see when I'm inside the pool and I have to put a towel around me when I'm outside the water.

Suddenly, there is a loud thud coming from my bedsit. I stop in my tracks to listen carefully. Was their someone in my room?

My heart beats faster. Could it be the landlady? Or Wendy?

It couldn't be a burglar, because I have nothing of value in my room. How was a burglar supposed know, thought? What if it was a pervert? I cringe.

Once, there was this rich heir who was obsessed with me. He secretly took photos and even sneaked into our house. When my father found out he made sure that this guy would stay away from me. What if he was back after he found out that my father has lost all his fortunes and influences? Maybe, he came back to take revenge.

I feel my body tense up. I grab the first available weapon I can find which happens to be a hairbrush. Not very useful, I guess. Yet, I take a deep breath and carefully open the bathroom door.

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter Four.**_


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: Intimacy

_**©Sunrisepainter:** Once Upon a Time in Magnolia_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hi guys, it's so long ago that I posted a chapter but I was very busy with my job and all. I hope there are still some readers out there who are going to read this story. I'm not very proud of this chapter. However, I like Lucy's character at the end. She might be a coward but she can be strong and determined at times. I don't want her to become the damsel of distress in the story, so I was happy to write this part. I hope there will be another chance for her "badass" side to appear._

 _Enjoy this chapter. I promise to upload another one in the next couple of days as I have a holiday right now._

* * *

Introduced in this chapter:

 **\- Carla:** _cat of Wendy,_ _she doesn't seem to like Luc_ y very _much_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE:** Intimacy

I grab the first available weapon I can find which happens to be a hairbrush. Not very useful, I guess. Yet, I take a deep breath and carefully open the bathroom door.

"Hello?", I ask. No one answers me. Of course not. Stupid Lucy, why would someone who secretly broke into your apartment show themselves so easily? However, there is no other way but to take a look. Step by step, I set off towards the bedsitter. The window is open, and the wind softly bulges the curtains. Chills run down my spine again as I don't remember opening the window.

I hold my breath as I look around the room. My heart is racing, my mind spinning. My entire body tense up ready to defend myself if needed to.

Suddenly, there is another sound. It's a soft mew. A cat?

I dare to breathe again and feel my body relax a little. So, it's just a cat. I almost laugh about my stupid paranoia.

"Hello little kitty, where are you?", I try to lure the animal as I crawl on the floor to look under my bed, "don't be scared, I'll help you."

"Is that what you called sexual harassment the other day?"

This makes jump out of my skin and bang my head against the bed still. I just ignore the pain and just quickly stumble upon my feed to stare in disbelief at the person sitting in my favourite arm chair, sneering at me.

"Sa- Sa-", I stutter. The ground beneath my feed is shaking. I can't say if I'm just dreaming or going crazy right now.

"Yo", Salamander nonchalantly raises his hand to greet me. It doesn't seem as if he knows how absurd the whole situation is. He's the person I'd like to see the last right now and yet he boldly walks into my room without my consult, puts his dirty boots on my table and scares me to death. As the arm chair has it's back turned towards me, I didn't see him in there when I came into the room.

"I…how…you…what in the…", I'm not able to form a whole sentence.

"I hope you don't mind that I let myself in", he says coolly.

"Of course, I mind", I finally snap out of my state of anxiety and I feel sheer anger taking over my body, "you broke into my house! That's a crime!"

"What I call a true crime is your outfit, blondie", he remarks dryly. I look down and realize that I still wear that super tight swimsuit revealing lots of private places of my body. I squeak and quickly cover myself with a blanket. My face burns with embarrassment. I wish I could just wipe that smirk of his stupid face.

My voice grows louder:

"You're the one who trespassed and breached my right to privacy! It's the second time you sexually harassed me!"

"Please", he rolls his eyes, "as if I would be interested in someone like you."

Can someone be more shameless? He makes it sound like I'm the one who has done something wrong.

"This is none of your childish games anymore! That's trespassing! It's a crime! If you don't leave in an instant, I'm gonna call the police!", I yell.

"Yeah, yeah, relax. I'm just here to take someone home", he says, "but I'm not sure if I should really leave her with someone like you."

"You're one to talk", I snap back.

"Don't underestimate me, blondie. You should thank me for bringing your lost kitten home."

"Lost kitten?", I frown. Right, I already forgot about that mysterious mew sound. So, there was really a cat in my room after all? I curiously move closer towards the arm-chair- Indeed, there is a white cat sleeping comfortably on his lap. She looks like the cat Wendy is looking for.

"Where did you find her?", I ask surprised.

"Won't tell you", Salamander smirks. I roll my eyes. He's so childish. However, the ways he looks at the small animal snuggling with his shirt is quite the contrary to his usual rowdy behaviour. I carefully stretch out my hand to pet the cat. Before my hands can touch her, she suddenly opens her yes, hisses at me and jumps down. Dumfounded I watch her as she gracefully walks away and sits down next to my bed to lick her paws.

"Whoa she really hates you", Salamander gasps while roaring with laughter. I feel stupid and embarrassed. Angrily I glare at the cat which just gives me the cold shoulder.

"And now, that I brought your cat back, you owe me", Salamander says with a challenging expression on his face, "and Erza won't help you this time as she'll be on my side. She's someone who thinks that people should always repay favours with favours."

I put on an innocent smile:

"Well, I would repay you if this was my cat. However, she belongs to my neighbour which means you must ask her for a favour, not me."

"She's not your cat?", for a moment, Salamander lost his cool composure as he looks surprised, "why were you looking for her then?"

It seems he only came with the intention to make use of me again.

"I just helped out my neighbour who had something to do", I can't hide my pleasure about raining on his parade, "she'll be really happy that you found her cat."

"Man, this is no fun at all", he complains and scratches the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm very boring, so there's no point for you to stay here any longer", I say and make gestures towards the door. However, he just ignores me and starts walking around the room.

"Man, your room really resembles your personality", he says, "stiff, boring and untainted."

What's that supposed to mean?

"However,", he stops to look me up and down, "when I think about your outfit today, I'm not so sure about the last one…"

I blush and wrap the blanket closer around my body. I almost forgot about the embarrassing situation I was in.

"I- I don't have anything else to wear at the pool tomorrow", I stammer. Why do I have to explain myself to him? It's none of his business anyway.

"And you seriously want to wear that to school?", he laughs, "wow, you're either super horny or super clueless!"

"Get – the – fuck – out – of – my – room", I hiss angrily, stressing every single word, "now!"

"Alright, alright", he lifts his arms in defence, "I'll go, but be nice to the cat. She was really sacred when I found her."

He jumps onto the window still with his back turned towards me I'm a little surprised that he seems to care about that cat a lot. Maybe, he's not as bad as I thought. Furiously I shake my head. He's the one who pushed me into the water, embarrassed me in front of everyone, threatened me, left me wandering alone through the streets at night, made me into his personal servant and on top of it all, broke into my room! This guy is the devil in persona and nothing else!

"Oh, and another thing", he says and faced me again with a cheeky grin, "if I were you, I would fix that window or else uninvited guests will scare you to death."

"You!", I scream and throw my hairbrush at him, but he has already jumped outside the window and the brush just hits the floor. I can hear his snickers from downstairs. However, when I look outside, he has already disappeared. I shut the window as tightly as I can and put some empty bottles, cans and jars on the window still. That might not hinder burglars from entering my room, but at least I can hear them now.

* * *

Before I go to bed, I feed the cat or rather I _try_ to feed her. Somehow, she acts as if this is her home and I'm the intruder. I really can't understand why she seemed so comfortable with Salamander. My body automatically tenses up whenever I think about that devilish person. Quickly, I tug myself into bed and pull the blankets up to my hairline. I still feel ashamed and angry at the same time. Restlessly I toss and turn all night. I just can't get the sight of Salamander sitting in my arm-chair out of my head.

Hence, I feel really tied and groggy the next morning when I ring at Wendy's door.

"What happened to you, Lucy-san? Are you not feeling well today?", the younger girl asks me worriedly.  
"Don't worry, I just had a nightmare last night", I answer and there's a grain of truth in that, "I have a surprise for you. Just follow me."

Wendy looks bewildered, but she does as I say. I had planned to take the cat to her owner, but Carla still wouldn't let me touch her. However, she looks happy when she sees her owner and so does Wendy.  
"Where did you find her?", the girl asks and hugs the cat who snuggles up to her in return.

"It wasn't me. Some saw me with the posters the other day and brought her over", I answer.

"What's their name? I want to thank them for finding Carla", Wendy beams with joy. I try to avoid her eyes and nervously fidget with my hair:  
"Well, I don't know. He wasn't very talkative, you know…"

Is it just my imagination or does the cat stare at me reproachfully? It's as if she wants me to tell the truth about her finder, but I can't. I just don't want Wendy to meet with Salamander. There already are so many shady people making her life miserable.

"Oh", Wendy looks disappointed, "but I' glad that Carla's back. Thank you, Lucy-san."

I just shake my head and force myself to smile:

"Don't mention it. Whenever you need me, I'll be there for you. We're neighbours after all."

"Thank you so much", she happily bows her head a few times in a row, "are you free this evening by chance?"

"Um, I guess…"

"Great. Please come over to my room for dinner. I don't want to flatter myself, but I'm good at cooking", she blushes while saying that. Gosh, she's really cute!

"I'd love to", I return her smile, "thanks."

"Oh", her eyes widen, "I think I have to change into my school uniform now. Thanks again, Lucy-san and see you later." Before I can open my mouth, she has already disappeared. I chuckle. She really is a special girl after all and I can't help myself but have sisterly affections for her.

* * *

"Are you sure you really want to go out there like this?", Levy sceptically looks me up and down.

"Well, I have no choice, have I?", I sigh and pull the straps of my swimsuit. However, this doesn't change the fact that it's still way to tight. We're in the woman's dressing room, getting ready for P.E. Levy wears a similar blue swimsuit as me, but hers doesn't look weird at all. On the contrary, she looks very cute.

"Just tell Mr. Strauss that you have a stomach ache or something like that", Bisca advices, "he'll surely send you to the infirmary."

"I'm not very good at lying", I admit, "he won't believe me."

"Don't worry, my brother doesn't look like it, but he's very gullible, especially around females", a well-known voice says. As I spin around, I see Mira and Cana. I didn't even know that they were here. Mira looks as stunning as ever. She wears a plain blue bikini. The bottom is a cute pleated swim skirt and the top is strapless with just a buckle keeping her breasts from falling out. Cana also wears a two-piece swim suit, but hers doesn't look as feminine as Mira's. Her swim shorts are brown matching with the light blue neckholder top.

"Why are you here? It's the first time I see you guys attending a P.E. lesson", Bisca asks suspiciously.

"Not that it's your business, but we're just in the mood for a dip in the pool", Cana shrugged her shoulders, "it's freaking hot today."

"And we also wanted to have some fun with Lucy-chan", Mira says hugging me from behind. I'm too surprised to avoid her.

"Does that mean Salamander and Gray will be here, too?", Levy wondered and I could tell that she was already panicking. I also feel alarm bells ringing in my head. Bad enough that Salamander saw me in my tight swim suit the day before, but I definitely don't want him to make me look foolish in front of our class.

"Dunno", Cana shrugged her shoulders once more, "didn't see them yet."

"Stop worrying already, girls", Mira chirps in a good mood, "we should just have some fun today!"

With that he pulls me and Levy out of the changing room, so that I don't even get the chance to wrap myself inside a towel. Half of the boys are already inside the water, enjoying the themselves. Some of the girls still sit on the side-lines, watching them, uncertain if they should join or not. Mr. Strauss is busy arranging some swim gear.

Immediately, I feel everybody's eyes on us. Some of the boy's whistle and I try to cover my body with my arms.

"Don't be shy, Lucy-chan. You look really good", Mira smiles at me. Someone it's depressing to hear this from someone gorgeous as her.

"Wow, Mira you're a bombshell!", a guy yells and another says:

"Yes, but the transfer isn't so bad either!"

"You're right, she's pretty hot!"

I blush. Why do guys always have to be so obvious?

"Mira, I'm so glad you came to school today!", Mr. Strauss finally notices his sister. It's the first time I see his face brighten up. He really seems to care a lot about her.

"Don't fuss about it, brother. Let's just start the lesson", Mira smiles at him, but her voice sounds harsher than usually. At first, the teacher looks as if he wants to rebuke her, but he just sighs and gets his whistle:

"Okay guys, let's get started. I want everyone to warm up before swimming!"

I don't know what it is, but there is a certain tension between Mira and her brother. Well, it's not my business anyway. I'm already preoccupied with my own problems. It's pretty hard to do some stretching when you feel everybody's eyes on you. I'm very relieved when I'm finally inside the pool swimming some laps. Levy is swimming right next to me so we can chat once in a while. From the corner of my eye I can see Mira and Cana sitting on the edge of the pool with their legs swinging inside the water.

"I wonder why those two even came here. It doesn't look as if they want to take part in class", I say.

"Dunno", Levy shrugs her shoulders, "to tell the truth, I don't know that much about those two. Everything I heard were just rumours."

"I'm just relieved that they didn't bring Salamander", I admit.

"Yeah, but it seems they brought their other fella…", Levy points toward the changing room where Gray Fullbuster is just leaving the boy's section wearing swim trunks.

"Wow, I never noticed he's such a cutie", Levy giggles and blushes a little. I can't help myself but also stare at him. I already saw him shirtless on my first day of school, but with the sun illuminating his abs and perfectly shaped face, he looks even more handsome. It's no wonder that every girl in our class is fawning over him whereas the boys look annoyed.

"What a show off!", I hear Warren's voice. He stands at the edge of the pool, carrying a goal for water polo. The boys had asked Mr. Strauss earlier if they could have a quick game.

"You're just jealous", Laki smirks at him.

"Why should I be jealous of someone like him?", Warren snorts.

"Because he's popular with the girls, handsome whereas you…", she doesn't finish her sentence but just grins at him. Warren's face heats up with anger:  
"What do you want to say, huh?"

"She means you're a loser!", Alzack bluntly declares.

"Don't forget to mention plain looking, boring and annoying", Laki enumerates. Warren looks as if he was just slapped into the face.

"Why are you always so mean to me", he whines and swings his body dramatically back and forth, "Stop making fun o- whoa – ah!"

As he was moving around too much with a big object in his hands, he slips, loses his balance and falls into the pool. Everybody laughs when helplessly tries to get out of the water. Surprisingly it's Gray who finally has mercy and grabs Warren by the shoulder and pulls him out of the pool in one go.

"Don't think I'm going to thank you or anything. I could've done this alone", Warren nagged and angrily left the poolside to sulk. Gray just shrugs his shoulders and lazily lays down on the stands. Obviously, he's not going to swim. Why is he here anyway?

Well, there is not much time to wonder about that as Mr. Strauss at last starts the lesson.

It's nice to have a swim considering the pre-summery temperature. I feel really refreshed when I get out of the pool.

"I wish we could stay in the pool all day", Mira says as we walk back to the changing room.

"Well, you always do as you please, so just stay here", Levy mutters under her breath.

"What did you say?", Cana glares at her.  
"Um...Levy-chan didn't mean it in a bad way", I swiftly interpose, "she just wanted to express her admiration for you, right Levy-chan~?" I stress the last syllable of her name and softly pinch her. She grimaces, but still tries to force a smile:  
"Yeah…um… I wish I was half as defiant as you guys..."

"I'm still feeling like you're insulting us", Cana raises an eyebrow. Mira giggles and pats her friends back:  
"Don't mind them. They still don't know us too well. Maybe, we skipped class a little too much lately..."

"Oh, that's cool who needs or mathematics or literature when you can defeat ten men with your bare hands", I say.

"Exactly", Cana laughs and I am not sure if she heard the irony in my statement, "do you want me to teach you some of my techniques, blondie? Maybe, you can use them on Natsu next time"

"No thanks", I politely decline her offer, "I don't plan to cross path with your despicable gang leader ever again."

Cana and Mira laugh. They don't seem to mind that I talk bad about their friend. They really have a weird sense of humour.

"Then how about just hanging out with the two of us", Mira suggested with a smile and put an arm around my shoulder, "we can go shopping and can do a lot of other things girls our age do."

"Yeah, let's have a drink at a bar together", Cana rejoiced.

"Um, I don't think we're allowed to do that as we're still underage", I remind her. She just shrugs her shoulders:  
"We'll just have to use fake IDs or something like this..."

"Or we can just go shopping and have a café afterwards", Mira hurries to say, "of course, you're invited as well, Levy-chan."

"Um, thanks", Levy said. She looks as if she's not sure what to think about that invitation. I feel the same way. Why would they want to hang out with us? Is this a trap? Is it Salamanders idea to get back at me?

"Well, I'm not sure if this a good idea", I finally admit as we walk into the girls dressing room.

"Just think about it, Lucy-chan. Cana and me really want to get to know you better. If you're not sure that you can trust us, you can also take Erza with you. I think she'll be happy to spend some time with girls as she's usually training with boys..."

"Okay, we'll think about it", I say evasively, hoping they would drop the topic then. Levy nods her head.

"Great", Mira beams, "give me your phone and I'll save my number so that you can reach me anytime you want to hang out."  
"S-sure", I say and walk over to the shelf where I left my stuff. However, I can't find it. Neither my school uniform, nor my bag. All of my stuff is gone.

I also take a look at all the other shelves, but there are only school uniforms from other girls from my class. The one carrying my name is gone.

"Levy-chan, you saw me placing my stuff here earlier, right?", I ask my friend while trying to calm myself down. She looks at me in confusion:  
"Yes, you put everything on the shelf next to mine. What's wrong with it?"

I don't answer her, but start to look around the room. I search every inch and every corner, but I can't find anything at all.  
"What's going on, Lucy-chan? Are you looking for something?", Mira looks at me in worry.

"My stuff", I start panicking now, "my clothes, my bag...everything – someone stole it!"

"Someone stole your stuff?", Cana repeats and raises an eyebrow, "are you sure?"

"Let's look around another time. Maybe, you just left it somewhere else", Levy suggests, "and let's see if something from our stuff is missing."

* * *

After searching the room another time and even the girl's showers and restrooms, the others have to admit that someone must've taken my stuff. At least, none of their things are missing.

"Perhaps, someone mistook your uniform for theirs", Mira proposes.

"Maybe", I say, but I'm sure that's not it. There's this strange feeling telling me that this was not by chance. Someone must have taken my things to tick me off and I know exactly who it was.

"Lucy-chan, where are you going...like this?", Levy stammers as she sees me running towards the door leading back to the campus. In my anger I don't listen to her. Well, I should have.

Still dressed in my tight swimsuit I make my way back to the school building. Everybody stares at me and some boys whistle when they see me like this, but I'm not aware of it. I'm too enraged.

* * *

I head straight for the roof top. I almost kick the door open and climb the ladder without noticing the cold breeze on my nude skin.

The object of my wrath was napping on two chairs in the middle of the roof. The rest of his crew was nowhere to be seen which meant there was no one to stop me. Without further ado I pushed him off the chairs.

"What the hell…!", Salamander literally screams and jumps back on his feet rubbing his back.

"That's what I'm supposed to ask!", I roar with my arms akimbo, "what the hell did you do to my clothes!"

"What?", he stares at me dumbfounded, "what's wrong with you, psycho-bitch? Did you finally go plump loco?"

"You're the one who went too far this time!", I shoot back, "are you a child? Hiding someone's clothes is something kindergarteners wouldn't even do anymore!"

"Hiding what? What's that even about?"

So, he's still pretending to be all innocent. Again, I forget how dangerous he is. My fury has a hold over my body and mind. I grab Salamander by his collar and pull him close to my face so that our noses are almost touching.

"If I don't get my clothes back by the end of this day, I'm going to ask Erza to have another little talk with you!"

He seems to be too surprised to oppose me. Perhaps, it's because he didn't expect my sudden force. Perhaps, it's because he's afraid of Erza. I don't care anyway. I'm very satisfied with myself when I let go of him and leave the roof top with my head held high.

And still in my swim suit.

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter Five.**_


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